


Dangerous Liaisons

by lunarsugar



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Love, Murder, Romance, Suicide, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:53:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 70,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25368679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsugar/pseuds/lunarsugar
Summary: When a potential deal with Quincey Balthuman catapults Poppylan Wilkes into the middle of a dangerous situation, Tora is forced to accept her part in his life and protect her by any means necessary.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 416
Kudos: 216





	1. How It All Started

**Author's Note:**

> Well...here I am again...writing another MPL fan fiction. Let’s see where this one takes us, shall we?

“Keep pressure on the wound!” 

Poppy’s hands were trembling as she pushed down hard on Tora’s neck, the coppery slickness seeping through her fingers as she steadied herself. She tried to take deep breaths to avoid hyperventilation, tears streaming down her face, her fragile bit of confidence fraying to pieces.

Quincey was pacing back and forth, his hands furiously texting, the spatter of blood on his cream colored sweater a constant source of annoyance for him as he continued to dab at the blood stains.

“Where the hell is your first aid kit, Quincey?” Gyu was furiously digging through the trunk of Quincey’s black Porsche, throwing out manuscripts, clothing samples—everything he could to find a first aid kit.

“It was back there last I checked.” Quincey sighed, putting the phone up to his ear. Throughout this whole ordeal, Tora was extraordinarily calm, lying perfectly still on the ground while everything else around him had dissolved into chaos.

Poppy’s hands were still pressed against his neck and she could feel his pulse sporadically rising and falling.

“It only grazed me.” Tora told her gently. “It’s okay.”

“No. It—it’s not! Those guys—they shot you! They shot you!” Poppy stammered, still clearly in shock with the current situation.

“We just need to make sure it didn’t graze an artery.” Gyu told Poppy, kneeling down next to her with the newly found first aid kit. “Move your hands.”

She did as she was told, her hands trembling as she pulled them away. Gyu cleaned the wound, disinfecting it before inspecting it for a moment. Inside of the kit, he found a sort of superglue, and glued the deep wound together.

“Help me get him to the car.” Gyu told her. “He’s lost a lot of blood, so he will be dizzy.”

Poppy did as she was told, placing Tora’s arm over her shoulders as they walked him to the car, depositing him into the back seat.

This was not how tonight was supposed to go. For once in her life, Poppy had made a deal that she could follow through with—she was going to get Quincey to sign with her publishing company. She had worked for three long months to get him on her side. And now, they were finally formally meeting in person.

***

Poppy stepped out of the car, looking up at the modern building in front of her. She was glad Erdene he done the research and figured out exactly what she should wear to her meeting with Quincey. Poppy opted for an off the shoulder, skintight sheath dress and stiletto heels. Erdene had gone through the extra trouble of borrowing high end jewelry to make her look suitable to Quincey’s expensive taste. Poppy had curled her hair for tonight and put on a little extra makeup.

Erdene had called a car service for Poppy, and a black Mercedes arrived to take her to Opal, a new, trendy lounge that Quincey had opted for.

“Black tie, darling.” He had texted her. “Ten o’clock sharp. Don’t be late.”

And there she was at 9:55, stepping out onto the sidewalk in front of the building, gripping onto her embellished black clutch heading into the lounge.

Poppy had only seen lounges like these in movies: the ones that looked like speakeasies; a blues singer up on the stage with a single spotlight on her and a brass and strings band behind her playing a stripped down version of Moon River.

The bar was a heavy oak, deep lit amber glass lighting up the bar itself, colorful liquor bottles aligning the shelves that it sat in front of. A man in a shirt, vest, pinstripe pants, and a fedora cleaning the glasses at the bar religiously, hazy cigar and cigarette smoke dancing against the round tables, deep burgundy crushed velvet benches accenting the dark wooden tables.

She spotted Quincey in the back corner of the room, a well tailored three piece white suit, complete with a cream sweater set. Her eyes were laser focused on him as she approached the table. He caught her eye, and a glint of mischief crossed his eyes as he raised a martini to her, the corner of his mouth curving up into a crooked smile.

“What a coincidence.” Quincey smiled. “YOU are Poppylan Wilkes? I am shocked to my very core.”

Poppy smiled at him,

“Call me Poppy. Why shocked?”

Quincey put his hand up to his ear, and sighed,

“Send in Big Brother.”

Poppy’s brows furrowed in confusion as she heard someone approaching her from behind. Slowly, she turned around to find herself looking straight at a black tie. Her eyes traveled up to meet a pair of golden eyes, looking down at her with faint irritation.

“Quincey.” Tora growled, turning his irritation toward Quincey, who smiled back innocently.

“Yes, dear?” Quincey fluttered his eyelashes a few times.

“Explain.” Tora pressed. Quincey motioned does Poppy to sit down. She shifted uncomfortably, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she sat down.

“Why, this fine, young entrepreneur simply has been hounding me to publish with their company. However could I have known that Poppylan Wilkes was the one who came over to my apartment one day? It is simply too much of a coincidence for me.” He waved off the explanation.

Tora’s jaw set in frustration at that explanation, knowing full well it was total bullshit. He had been trying so hard to keep Poppy out of this, to make sure she was no longer involved with him...Quincey was going to die when Tora got a hold of him.

“So, Miss Wilkes, walk me through the details of taking me on with your company.” Quincey sipped his martini, shimmying a little as he spoke.

“Of course.” Poppy smiled, pulling out her portfolio. As she spoke, a gentle glint caught her eye in one of the mirrors hanging on the wall. She stopped what she was doing for a moment and squinted at the little gleam, realizing it was coming from the top of a building.

“That’s odd.” She thought. Quincey was immersed in a conversation at the table as she studied the mirror, seeing the glint disappear for a moment, the light turn sideways to reveal a shadow, and Poppy’s heart slammed into her chest. Someone was holding a gun and aiming it directly at the patrons in the lounge. 

“Oh my god.” She said aloud, shooting out of her chair. She rushed around the side of the table, grabbing Quincey by the arm and pulling him out of his chair,

“Gun. There’s a gun on the roof. We have to get out—“

Tora sprang out of his chair, grabbing both Poppy and Quincey under their arms, and throwing them under the table. 

“Stay under cover! Don’t—“ his words were cut off by the shattering of glass and the high pitched whistle of a bullet grazing the side of Tora’s neck and piercing through the wall. 

Tora fell backward onto the bench seating, seething a few choice words, before he pulled a pistol out of his pocket, sprinting toward the kitchen door.

“Well, I’m sure this isn’t what you expected when we talked about joining your company.” Quincey’s voice was cheerful as he leaned against Poppy, both of them curled up against the back wall.

“By the way, you smell absolutely delightful. And your dress is just divine! Is that Givenchy? Valentino?” He beamed as bullets continued to rain down through the glass.

“Are you in shock?” Poppy squeaked, looking over at him, her eyes wide.

“No, no. You’re right. I’m a bumbling idiot.” Quincey sighed, looking down in thought. “It’s Roland Mouret. You would never go for such mainstream designers working as an indie agent.”

Poppy shook her head, staring at him.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Turn around. Let me see the tag.” Quincey scoffed, and Poppy did as she was told. Just then, a bullet passed right next to Quincey’s loafers and he screeched in anger,

“These are Gucci, you fool!”

Quincey sighed in frustration, fiddling for the tag in Poppy’s dress, and whispering,

“I knew it.”

And just as suddenly as the shooting had started, it stopped. Poppy glanced over at Quincey, who simply grinned in return. They waited a few more moments before Tora leaned his head down under the table, saying,

“You can come out.”

Quincey went first, standing up, and Tora leaned down to help Poppy out, extending his hand. Poppy took it, and he hoisted her up, her body tumbling forward into his as she looked up at him.

“Tora. You don’t look so good.” She commented, reaching up instinctively to touch his face, noticing his skin was clammy, body swaying. The bullet wound on his neck hadn’t stopped bleeding profusely.

“I’m fine.” He told her, gently taking her wrist and pulling it away from his face. “Let’s move this party somewhere else.”

Tora disappeared, leaving Poppy and Quincey to head out the front door and wait on the sidewalk. He pulled around in Quincey’s black Porsche, getting out to open the door.

“Thank you.” Quincey smiled. Suddenly, Tora fell forward into Quincey, who shrieked in terror, his lovely cream outfit effectively ruined. Poppy sprang forward, cradling Tora’s head before he hit the ground, pressing her hands to his neck.

“Keep pressure on the wound!” She heard a voice call out as the door to the lounge swung open and out popped Gyu.

****

Tora looked up at Poppy through his hazy vision. Underneath the streetlight, she looked like an angel, a pale glow illuminating her hair and body.

She looked down at him, and god if he didn’t want to take her in his arms and kiss her right then. Those big, bright eyes were awash with tears, and she was trying so hard to be brave in front of him, but she was absolutely terrified. He wanted to do anything he could to take that fear away from her.

“It only grazed me.” Tora told her gently. “It’s okay.”

“No. It—it’s not! Those guys—they shot you! They shot you!” Poppy stammered, pressing a little harder on the wound. Her hands were so warm, but weren’t they always. She was always just—warm. This little candle of light and life in his dark, cold, twisted little world. Suddenly, that warmth disappeared replaced by a sharp, stinging pain, and Gyu’s face appeared, getting to work on the wound, but Tora’s eyes remained glued on Poppy.

“Help me get him to the car.” He heard Gyu’s voice echo. “He’s lost a lot of blood, so he will be dizzy.”

Tora felt himself being lifted up and deposited into the back seat of the car. The door slammed and Poppy slid into the back seat, cradling his head in her lap, instinctively stroking his hair. She was panicking, and he could tell. He reached up, taking her hand, lacing his fingers in hers. She looked down at him, the worry on her face apparent, and smiled,

“‘S okay, Bobby.”

Before his world went completely dark.


	2. Careful

2.

The buzzing of his cell phone sounded more like the tolling of a solemn church bell to the sniper spotter. He closed his eyes, reaching into his pocket, knowing full well he was fucked.

“Sir.” He answered, clearing his throat.

“I understand you ran into some trouble tonight.” The voice on the line was calm—dangerously calm.

“Yes, sir.” The spotter mumbled. Instinctively, he lowered his head in a respectful apology, though he knew that his boss couldn’t see him.

“Yurei is dead?” The voice inquired. 

“Yes, sir. I confirmed it myself.” The spotter admitted. He glanced over in the direction of Yurei’s body, which he had set ablaze in a remote location.

“This should have been an easy hit.” The voice on the line growled. “What happened?”

“We were in position, ready to fire. Yurei had his sights trained on the boy and was ready to fire. I was ready to confirm when a girl stood up, dragging him out of the line of sight. She saw the glint off of the scope and saw us on the roof. 

“By the time Yurei readjusted and took the shot, the boy’s bodyguard stood up and took a shot to the neck. The bodyguard found us. Yurei pushed me onto a landing, and the bodyguard took him out. I managed to escape before he found me.” The spotter explained. 

“What of the bodyguard?” The voice asked.

“Taken to a hospital. Critical injuries.” The spotter answered.

“And the girl?” The voice inquired again.

“She was in the car with an affiliate taking the bodyguard to the hospital. The boy was picked up by his father’s men.” The spotter explained.

“Did you put a tracer on them?” The voice pressed.

“A tail.” The spotter replied.

“Good. I want them both—the girl and the bodyguard. Everyone else who stands in the way is collateral damage.” The voice growled. “They took our most respected member. Perhaps, it’s time to take one of theirs.”

“With pleasure, sir.” The spotter replied.

****

The rhythmic cadence of the EKG was the first thing that he heard as his world faded back into view. In the fuzzy glow of the sterile white room, he saw the monitors first, each of them displaying different vital readings.

He blinked his eyes hard, drawing in a deep breath, his fingers twitching a bit as he felt a resistance against his right hand. He looked down to see Poppy holding his hand, her head on her left arm, which was touching his thigh, eyes closed, brows furrowed in a less than pleasant sleep. His lips curved into a gentle smile, his gaze fixed on her.

“Oh! Big bro! You’re awake!” Gyu entered the room with two cups of coffee, and Tora glanced over at him in annoyance. Poppy stirred, opening her eyes, frowning at the unpleasant light as Gyu offered her a cup of coffee. She shook her head in refusal, and Gyu shrugged.

“I’m gonna go get the doctor.” Gyu grinned, heading out. Poppy stood up, stretching, before throwing herself at Tora, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him. His eyes widened in shock, before he settled his chin into the nape of her neck, breathing her in.

“Don’t scare me like that anymore, okay?” she whispered. He felt the warmth of tears sliding down his neck and into his hospital gown

“‘Kay.” He agreed, and she sat back down in the chair. 

“Ah, Tora. You’re awake!” The doctor grinned, heading into the room with a mask over his face. Poppy turned to look at the doctor and found him to be quite unusual. For one, as the doctor came into the room and flipped open Tora’s chart to study it, the sleeve of his shirt fell back beyond his wrist, revealing a full tattoo sleeve. For a moment, he read the chart, his head moving slightly to the side as he read. Poppy caught sight of a few piercings adorning his ears. 

“Looks like you’ve had some significant blood loss. How are you feeling?” The doctor inquired, coming around the bed to look at Tora’s vitals. 

“Fine.” Tora grumbled in response.

“Naturally, when it comes to cases like this, with bullet wounds, I need to disclose that the police have been informed. There are two officers waiting to question any witnesses who might have been present.” The doctor seemed friendly, upbeat as he informed them of the impending investigation. Tora’s eyes flicked over to Poppy, and she looked right back at them.

“I’ll go out and speak to the officers. Where are they?” She inquired, standing, smoothing out her sheath dress from the night before.

“Bobby.” Tora called out. She paused, turning to look at him, her hand on the door. The doctor’s eyes flicked back and forth between Poppy and Tora. “Careful.”

Poppy’s brows furrowed in confusion, but he held her gaze with a stony vigilance. She nodded, heading out the door into the hallway, where two officers were sitting on a chair waiting to speak to someone.

“Good morning.” The officer on the left said briskly. Poppy nodded at the officer, taking note of the name embroidered across the left side of his chest that read Simpson.

Poppy’s eyes flicked up to the officer and she replied,

“Good morning.”

“I understand you were present at the shooting at Opal last night.” Simpson told her.

“I was.” Poppy replied.

“Mind if we take you down to the station for questioning?” Simpson pushed. Next to Simpson, the taller of the two men glared down at Poppy, his dark black hair pulled back into a long ponytail, tattoos up the side of his neck, piercings in his ears. Everything about him screamed “not an officer” from his appearance to his cold demeanor.

“Am I being arrested?” Poppy inquired. The two officers seemed taken aback, glancing at one another before Simpson sighed,

“Not yet.”

“I don’t want to say anything without a lawyer present.” Poppy could tell something was off by the way they acted and even more so by the way they reacted to her. She looked down at the long haired officer’s shirt, reading Eckert as he stepped forward, closing the distance between the two of them, and growling low under his breath,

“You can make this simple or difficult. You either come with us, and we allow your boyfriend to live. Or you don’t come with us and we inject your boyfriend with a lethal dose of a drug. It’s your choice.”

Panic rose in Poppy’s chest for a moment as she glanced between the two of them.

“Is there a problem here?” A voice inquired behind her. Gyu approached the officers, putting a comforting hand on Poppy’s shoulder. The officers glared at Gyu for a moment, before fixing their sights on Poppy, saying,

“We were just finishing up our questioning.”

They turned, Simpson glancing over his shoulder once again at Poppy, who held Simpson’s eye contact, saying,

“We need to get back to the room. Now.”


	3. Strawberry Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides behind her desk*
> 
> Don’t kill me.

3.

Gyu and Poppy headed back to Tora’s room and turned the handle, finding the door locked.

“We need to get in there. Now.” Poppy hissed. She looked through the narrow window, but couldn’t see much more than Tora’s legs under the hospital blanket. Poppy’s mind began going through every horrible scenario that she could think of, imagining Tora lying dead in that bed or worse—the drug dripping into his IV bag and he was there just out of reach the entire time.

Gyu looked around the corridor, and kneeled down in front of the door, saying,

“Watch my back.”

“What about the cameras?” Poppy asked, nervously eyeing the cameras in the hallway corners. Gyu looked over his shoulder at her and remarked,

“I’m not sure why exactly we need to get into this room, but I’m guessing it’s a life or death situation. Should we just let him die because you’re afraid we’ll get in trouble for breaking and entering?”

“Well, when you put it that way.” She looked down at her feet, feeling a bit more like a goody two shoes than she had felt since her first year of high school. She glanced down the hallway, watching for anyone who might be coming down the hall as Gyu worked at the lock on the door and her mind wandered.

*************

7 Years Ago

*************

“Poppy, get real here. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Poppy fidgeted with her pencil at her desk, staring down at the blank test in front of her. Three of her friends were gathered around her, looking down at the test as well, hovering close to her. 

“I get in trouble.” Poppy murmured. 

“But, I mean, how would they ever know it was you? There’s no way they could ever trace this test back to you. And if they did, I’ll just tell my dad you had nothing to do with it. He would go to bat for you.” Lilibet grinned. Lilibet was the girl who had it all. She came from a wealthy family in the area who were well known for giving generous contributions to the school. It wasn’t all that unusual for her to get away with a lot more than most of the other kids because of who her parents were. 

Most of the other girls in the school who hung around Lilibet were really only friends with her because of the benefits she provided: she was generous with her money when it came to her friends, she provided immunity from punishment, and most of the boys that hung around her were from wealthy families too. She had tons of connections, wore all the best clothes, drove a convertible Maserati to school, and she was fiercely loyal to her friends, and Poppy used to be one of them.

“I know.” Poppy licked her lips nervously, the test shaking in her hands.

“Besides that, isn’t it only fair that you help your fellow classmates out?” Yua cut in, nudging Poppy’s arm. “I mean, let’s be honest, not all of us are born with super genius brains like you are. We all know that everyone in Suzuki’s class got the unfair draw as far as teachers know. We all know that nobody passed the last test except for you because you’re practically a freak of nature.”

Lilibet cast a sharp glance in Yua’s direction, and Yua continued on,

“We all know the only way that anyone besides you is going to pass that class is if we can study the test ahead of time. Are you really going to be that selfish that you’re going to take away everyone else’s chance to get into the college that they want to get into just because of one test? Just because of a class that teaches a skill that we will never use again once we leave school?”

Yua wasn’t one to beat around the bush; she never had been. She was the strong, dark type who preferred to just lay it all out there regardless of how one might feel or take the news because she believed in honesty above all else. She was ruthless, and most of the other girls were afraid of her. It was better to be on her good side than on the receiving end of a death promise because Yua never made threats.

“Besides that,” the third, a plumper girl named Niko added quietly, “think about how much money we could make off of this test. We could sell the answers to people and split the profit. Then, we would be able to save up some money for the class trip.”

Niko was the savviest of the group. Her family owned a small ramen shop in the district near them and struggled even more than Poppy and her father did. She had learned how to save money and budget better than most people her age. She never wasted anything that was given to her and usually had some pretty strong words for others who did. 

All in all, Poppy knew her dad had been working extra hard to provide for the two of them, and since she had mentioned the class trip, her dad had been putting in overtime to be able to let her go on that trip. She liked the idea of being able to afford to go on the trip because of something that she contributed, but at what cost?

Poppy knew if she got caught, her chances of attending the college of her dreams were over too. Not only would the other kids crash and burn spectacularly, but since she was the one who penned the answers, they would automatically assume she was the mastermind.

But.

If she didn’t get caught, she would be a class hero. Everyone would pass because of her—even the kids who had no chance of passing would. They could all get in to the colleges they wanted, and Poppy would even be able to afford to go on the class trip without her dad having to work anymore extra hours. Not to mention, with Lilibet in her side, she had a pretty good advantage. 

But the risks...were just so high...

“I—I don’t know, you guys. If I get in trouble, I don’t know if that might affect me later on.”

“Told you she was too much of a goody goody ta do anything but help herself.” She heard a gruff voice grumble from the back corner of the room.

She whirled back over her shoulder, short brown hair flicking across her face, resentful brown eyes glaring back at the boy who leaned against the door, arms crossed, a smirk across his face. Those amber colored eyes seared into hers, mercilessly taunting her. 

She knew him well—everyone did. Rumors always swirled around the school about his involvement in any trouble that went down in and around the school. Some said he was an adopted brother of the blonde rich boy that sometimes hung around in Lilibet’s circle. Most compared him to more of a pet that the rich boy’s family owned because he always seemed to be ditching school to run errands for them.

When he was at school, he usually sat in the back of the classroom with his head down or headphones in. He was a classic example of a kid with a chip on his shoulder.

Sometimes, when Poppy would walk through the school’s courtyard, she would see him skateboarding down the school stairs, smoking, even though he wasn’t supposed to be, or hanging out with his brother. She knew they called him some tough nickname, and his tattoos, which she was pretty sure he got illicitly, played up his bad boy image even more. But what fit him even more was his name—Katashi. Hard—and he had lived a hardened life.

“You don’t even know me.” Poppy’s eyes narrowed at him and he broke into a huge smile at her ire.

“Sure I do.” He pushed off of the doorframe as the girls backed away from her, making his way around the classroom slowly, the distinct smell of cigarettes and cheap cologne following him as he went. He straddled the desk seat, his arms resting on the top of the seat.

Poppy leaned back, crossing her arms, aggressive hamster mode initiated.

“You’re strawberry girl.” He told her. “Ya wear little kids clothes with little cutesy unicorns on them. Ya hang out with the fat girl whose parents own that cheap ramen shop down the street, the goth girl who scares everyone but people who know her better, and a rich girl whose daddy buys her everything.

“Ya make good grades on tests because ya study all day when everyone else is out being normal kids. Ya attend study hall every chance ya get because it makes ya feel better about not having a dad to come home to at night since he’s always at work.

“And ya friends only want ya to give them the answers on these tests because they don’t want to put in the time it takes to make the grades for themselves, so they use ya because ya can’t say no to anyone—ya too much of a damned goody two shoes to stand up for ya own damned self.”

Poppy was floored, staring back at him as he assessed her with his stupid critical eyes, judging her, and, much to her anger and annoyance, judging her correctly.

“I’m sorry. Did I miss something?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. Poppy’s face flushed a bright red, and she shot out of her desk, looking down at him in disdain, hands trembling at her side. He raised his eyebrows at her, and with furiously trembling hands, she picked up the test in front of him and ripped the test into shreds, a flurry of test pieces snowing down on his head in a glorious fashion.

He flashed a side smile at her as she snatched up her materials, pushing past Yua and Katashi’s brother, Hideo, who was Poppy’s age and had just entered the classroom, looking for his brother, furious tears in her eyes as she stormed out of the room.

“Bro.” Hideo glanced over his shoulder, and then back at Katashi. “Why did ya make strawberry girl cry?”

Katashi’s smile disappeared, and he ran his hand through his hair, sighing, and shoving off of the desk angrily. Hideo looked completely confused at this turn of events, shrugging as Katashi shouldered past him violently and the girls in the room all squeed in admiration at the beautiful, angry bad boy senpai that had come to their classroom at that exact time. How lucky they were to be there even if his wrath was directed at them.

***

“Poppy. You good?” Gyu stood up, his hand on the door, looking over at her in concern. Poppy nodded jerkily, her eyes blinking a few times as she wiped a tear away from her face, raising her eyebrows and taking a deep breath.

Gyu pulled the door open quickly, rushing into the room with Poppy. The EKG monitor had been disconnected from the body and shut off, and a sheet had been pulled up over Tora’s face as he lay in the bed motionless. Poppy’s hands were trembling, as she reached for the body on the bed, long inky black hair spilling over the pillow, and just over the edges of the bed.

“Oh no.” Poppy whispered. Her body shook as she jerkily leaned over, putting her head on his chest to listen for a heartbeat.

Silence.

Her body, which was already shaking had begun to violently tremble as a lump rose in her throat, a wail threatening to escape. Tears soaked themselves into the bedsheets as she felt Gyu’s comforting hand on her back, a mournful wail escaping her lips, muffled by sheets and the cooling body that she laid on.


	4. Magnetic Pull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been so much fun to flush out the backstory between these two. Ever since seeing that picture with Tora in the background and the crying girl, I just can’t help but picture these two knowing each other before!
> 
> Anyway, I’m back out of hiding. Enjoy!

4

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

“Hey!” She heard that same stupid gruff voice call out behind her. 

What could he want now? He had already called her out in front of everyone. Surely, he had nothing else to say. Carrying her supplies under one arm, her fingers on her free hand dug into her palms.

“Why do I always have to cry over everything? When I’m mad, when I’m upset, when I’m overly happy. It’s so degrading!” She thought to herself. 

“Will ya just wait!” He called out, stalking after her. She stopped suddenly, whirling around on him, her face splotchy and red, tears of anger and frustration falling down her cheeks, sweating in embarrassment and from the heat of the day.

“What else could you possibly want?” She sneered. “Do you want to make fun of me more? Is that it? You want to tell me more about me and my life and my dad who works to give me everything, but he can’t even take care of himself because he’s sick?”

Katashi was stunned at that statement. Her dad was sick? Since when? How didn’t he know about this?

“I—I’m sorry. I—I didn’t—“ he grumbled.

“Yeah. You didn’t know.” Poppy spat. “Why would you? The last thing I need is a pity party, but if you want to talk about my life and my dad, you need to get some things straight.”

The tears were flowing freely, and he could tell it was taking everything in her not to throw herself at him and attempt to rip him to pieces out of agony. He knew that look better than anyone. 

He had lived that look.

“I study because I want to get a scholarship, so my dad doesn’t have to work so much anymore.” She told him confidently. “Since he does work so much, I attend study hall to make that even more possible for us.

“My dad works so much so I can attend my class field trip because even though I told him I don’t want to go, he wants me to have this chance to have a normal life, and for him that includes this trip. I love him enough to want him to be happy and if that makes him happy, that’s what I’ll do.”

Katashi had always assumed her family struggled like many of the other families in their school. He knew for a fact her dad worked doubles, but he always just assumed he was another deadbeat who didn’t want to be around his kids. Not only that, but hearing her talk about her love for her dad—well that was hard for him to comprehend. He had never been loved like she was; never been wanted for more than what he was good at; and he loved her unconditionally, and she reciprocated that love.

“And here you come parading into the classroom looking at me from the surface. You see the iceberg, but you don’t even bother to see what’s beneath.”

Now, she was really crying, her tears nearly coming in sobs, hyperventilating as she spoke. He shuffled his feet around, feeling absolutely lower than low.

“I know you didn’t know, but what right do you have to do stuff like that to people you don’t know? To hurt them or make them feel inferior just because you do?” She was trying to wipe her tears away, angry that they made her seem less than strong. She sighed, turning on her heel and walking away from him.

*********  
Present  
*********

A small sound coming from inside of the little bathroom caught Gyu’s attention and he immediately stiffened up. Someone was still in the room. Quietly, he reached into his pocket, flicking out a switchblade. 

The door was partially opened, and he moved slowly, his hand reaching out for the door, when suddenly the door opened.

Out he walked, now wearing a police officer uniform with the name Eckert on it, his hair tired back away from his face as he adjusted his police hat. 

His eyes flicked back and forth on confusion, first settling on Gyu, who looked absolutely shocked, then settling on Poppy, who was sobbing hysterically over a dead body that he had placed in the hospital bed.

“What the fu—hell is the matter with ya?” He asked aloud. Poppy’s head popped up off of the bed, still sobbing as she whirled around to face the voice who cursed at her.

When she saw him, she started sobbing even harder, and it sort of freaked him out. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing,

“I thought it was you!” 

But it came out more as, “I thought it was you— who—who— whoooooo.”

Tora’s arms stuck out awkwardly as she hugged him before wrapping themselves around her, patting her back.

“We need to get out of here.” Tora said. Poppy pulled back, realizing for the first time that she was now involved in a murder, and her face went sheet white. For a moment Tora thought she might pass out. She swayed back and forth a little before he steadied her.

“You okay?” He cautiously inquired.

“They’re going to think it was me. They’re going to think I did it.” She hissed.

“No.” He flatly told her. “They won’t.”

“How do you—how would you even—“

“Bobby.” He leaned down to her level, taking her wrists and looking her in her eyes. “I wouldn’t let them do that to ya.”

And when she looked back into his eyes, she trusted him. She trusted him more than she had trusted almost anyone in her entire life. So, she nodded, and he released her wrists, reaching for the handcuffs on his belt, arching an eyebrow at Poppy suggestively before saying,

“Want to try out these cuffs?”

Poppy aimed a hard punch to his arm, before growling,

“PERV!”

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

The last thing Katashi ever wanted to do was make strawberry girl cry. He had seen her timidly walking around campus, a few steps behind her friends while he waited for his brother in the school courtyard. She was always this kid that just seemed lonely even when she was surrounded by people.

“Yo.” Hideo called, coming down the school steps, followed closely by that little blonde prick Quincey, his boss’ son. For as long as he could remember, Quincey had reminded him of Augustus Gloop. He was this pudge ball of a kid who always seemed to follow behind Katashi and his crew, much to his disdain. Katashi was forced to take him along with him and protect him from other kids in his school because the Balthuman’s has basically trained him to do so.

Katashi rolled his eyes, seeing Quincey tagging along, carrying they stupid black shiny leather bag in his arms, huffing and puffing to keep up with Hideo.

Katashi put his arm around his brother’s neck, effectively shutting Quincey out.

“Hey! Wait for me guys! Don’t walk so fast!” Quincey wheezed, his little feet and shorter legs practically running to keep up with the other two boys.

“We going to Thug’s Pavilion?” Hideo asked.

“D’ ya have ta ask?” Katashi grinned.

“I want to come too!” Quincey piped up from behind. Irritated by Quincey and probably even more so by his lack of nicotine, Katashi whirled around, ready to snarl something horrific at Quincey, who shrank away from him, only to feel someone staring at him. He glanced around the courtyard, eyes flicking to the four lunch tables near the school’s entrance, where several students sat talking. Then, they flicked to the stairs leading up to the school, where many more students waited for friends or for a ride home. 

Finally, they settled on the old cherry blossom tree, where a tiny figure sat alone beneath the shade of the canopy, staring at him as he looked over Quincey. Something about the expression on her face was a mix of curiosity and disgust all at the same time. She held his eye contact for a moment, a strange current passing between the two of them and he felt his heart rate quicken at the sight of her. After, what seemed like, a minute she turned her attention back to the book she was reading.

“Fine.” Katashi quietly conceded, still looking at strawberry girl. “You can come with us.”

“I—I can?” Quincey was absolutely delighted, scurrying after Katashi, who stalked ahead of Hideo toward the red Mercedes that he drove Quincey to school in. He pulled open the door for Quincey, a sweet aroma drifting from the car. Then, he went around to the drivers side, sliding into the car, that same sweet scent overwhelming him as he flinched against the wall of it.

“What the fuck is that smell?” Katashi grimaced as Hideo slid into the passenger seat, scrunching his nose against the smell.

“Oh. I had the car detailed while we were in class today. They asked me if I wanted an air freshener sprayed on the filter, and I told them I did. What’s the problem? It smells delightful.” Quincey grinned taking in a deep breath.

“What smell did you even pick?” Hideo remarked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Quincey laughed. “I picked strawberry.”

*********  
Present  
*********

Tora removed his police hat, placing it on the counter next to the sink in his bathroom. He glanced down at the strawberry hair tie on his wrist, his fingers touching it as the little strawberry moved, dangling there without protest.

“You took Yurei from us. We take your girl from you. An eye for an eye.” The fake doctor had told him just before his blood boiled over and he launched himself at the doctor, IV ripping out of his skin as he took him to the ground, intending to strangle him, but handling him with such force that he broke his neck instead.

They knew about her. He glanced down at his hand, where doctors had inserted the IV, the skin gruesomely puckered up where the vein had blown and the long needle had been torn from the skin. He turned on the water, gingerly scrubbing his hand with soap, the water tainted a pink color as it swirled down the drain. He reached up, opening the little medicine cabinet, pulling out an antibiotic ointment and a bandage, applying both to his hand.

Then, he sighed, gripping the sides of the sink furiously.

“What do I do?” He thought to himself. If it had been just him, he could have managed just fine. He was used to having a target painted on his back in his line of work. But now that he knew they had intended, not only to take out Quincey, but even worse, Poppy, things just got even more complicated.

Tora was a master at his job. He knew the ins and outs of the profession. He knew that Quincey was well aware of how to protect himself too since this wasn’t the first time Quincey was the target of a hit thanks to his father’s profession, but this was the first time Poppy was exposed to this, and when it comes to life and death situations, emotions tend to run high. He wasn’t sure how she would handle having to constantly look over her shoulder, knowing that until he could handle the organization or convince Vincent to.

What’s more, he couldn’t let her go back home now. There was no way he could allow her there because, by now, they knew who she was, where she lived, and what she did. Where Quincey could stay at home and work, Poppy had an office to report to. How could she possibly call in and just say,

“Hey. So, there’s a hit out on me. I won’t be able to come in anymore.”

Besides that, she had her livelihood. He had to help her keep her life as normal as possible. He would need to up the security on her. So that took care of her work...but the question now was: where would she live?

He pushed off of the sink with that question in mind, heading into his bedroom, where he found Poppy asleep on his bed. She was such a stark contrast to the rest of the room—crumbling walls around him with cracks in the plaster but she was perfect, smooth beautiful skin that nearly glowed in the shitty fluorescent lighting; the floors of the room were bare concrete, easy to clean up and maintain, but rough around the edges of the room, but she was a sleek hourglass of shape, smooth lines from her legs and over her hips to that gorgeous dip in her waist, accented by her gorgeous breasts and shoulders, which were bare from the sheath she still wore. 

Her hair cascades in curls behind her as she lay in the bed, blissfully unaware of how her life was about to change, and he felt absolutely despicable that she was even a part of this when he had tried so hard to keep her away from him. It was like he had this magnetic pull on her, and one way or another, just by meeting him alone, she was doomed to be a part of this from the beginning.

He stood, heading to his broken closet door to quietly slide it open. He unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off, and grabbing some clothes to change into after taking a shower. When he turned back around, Poppy’s eyes were wide open and she was staring at him, her face flushed red.

“U—Um sorry.” Her hands flew up to cover her eyes, and he smirked at that. She was just so damned cute. He headed over to her side of the bed and sat down, taking her wrists and gently pulling her hands from her eyes. She sat up to protest, but found herself dangerously close to him and his spectacularly bare chest.

He had intended to tease her about being so embarrassed over a man’s chest. Had she never seen a bare chest before? Never been to the beach or the pool? But the moment she sat up, only a few inches from his face, every trace of humor had disappeared from his face and his body replaced by this aching need to touch her.

“We—we sh—sh—“ she could barely get the words out, and he felt absolutely overcome watching her mouth form those letters, mesmerized by her lips. He reached up, touching her face, his heart feeling a sharp nervousness as it pounded in his chest, exacerbated by the fact that her hand gently fell over his and she leaned into it, closing her eyes. His thumb traced her lower lip, and her eyes opened, staring straight into his own eyes. She reached up, brushing a strand of hair out of his face, and he couldn’t take it anymore. His hands brushed down over her bare shoulders, and she shivered a little.

“I—I should.” Poppy stood up, backing away a little, her breathing quickened by the heat between the two of them, and she turned to leave the room. 

“Oh no ya don’t.” He growled, catching her hand, pulling her body to his, as she looked up at him in shock, and crushing his lips onto hers.


	5. The Kiss

5

*********  
7 years Earlier  
**********  
The music in the house was annoying, to say the least, and Poppy was most definitely not enjoying her time. The bass in the house shook the walls and the floor, and the smell of alcohol and weed were rampant throughout the house.

Poppy sat alone in a secluded corner of the upstairs hall, really only at the party because Lilibet knew someone who knew someone who knew someone, and there were going to be hot seniors at this party, so it was, like, expected that Poppy be there for moral support, even though that usually just meant Poppy ended up alone while Lilibet was sucking face with someone or someones in an upstairs bedroom. Fortunately for Lilibet, though she was only a freshman, many people thought she was older than she was because she was more “developed” than her friends, and the boys “appreciated that”... or so she said.

“Hey—is you.” She heard a voice slur. She looked up from her book and rolled her eyes. “You’re the berry girl.”

A skinny, freckled red headed boy approached her. She had always found him to be a sleazeball, and everyone knew him to be sadistic. He was the kid that relished in making people upset and then purposely hurting them when they got into a fight. She remembered them calling him Starch or Sharp or something like that.

“Yeah. I’m the berry girl.” Poppy sighed, flipping the page of her book, and going back to her normal activities.

“Kinda a prude, aren’t you?” Stark lazily smiled, leaning against the wall.

“Yeah. That’s me. The berry prude.” She raised her eyebrows.

“‘S okay. I guarantee I’ll still be in those pants by the end of tonight.” He grinned, wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb, a line of drool dripping down his chin. Poppy looked up at him sharply, her lips forming a sneer of disgust.

“Keep dreaming.” Poppy mumbled. Sketch laughed, sliding down on the floor next to Poppy, who scooted over as close to the wall as possible. 

“Come on. Show me what you’re reading.” Sharp put his head on her shoulder, nuzzling closer and closer to her breasts.

“Please,” she shrugged sharply, “get off.”

“Nah. You’re comfy.” He grinned. Poppy was just about to retaliate when suddenly, Stark was violently pulled off of her and thrown down the hallway, landing gloriously on his head as a result. Poppy jumped, stiffening up, as Sketch was catapulted down the hall with a ridiculous thump.

She glanced up, seeing Katashi standing next to her, his fists balled up. Sketch groaned, sitting up, rubbing his head and moaning,

“Ahhhh. What the fuck, dude?”

“Ya don’t touch girls that don’t wanna be touched.” Katashi growled, standing firm in front of Poppy.

“Why? She’s not your girl. Why do you care what I do?” Stark prodded, the corner of his mouth turning up into a disgusting grin. Katashi paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at Poppy, whose eyes widened, looking right back at him.

“And what if she is?” He pressed back. Stark scoffed at that, looking away,

“Yeah, right. You ‘n strawberry girl? Please.”

“You don’t believe him?” Poppy’s meek voice piped up from behind Katashi as she stood up.

“No. I don’t.” Stark flatly told her. “Katashi ‘n strawberry girl? ‘S like fire ‘n ice. ‘S impossible. She’s all sweet and innocent and pure and smart you’re just an idiot asshole.”

Poppy felt the anger rising in her as her hands trembled, and she stood next to Katashi, clutching her book to her chest.

“He’s not an idiot asshole!” Poppy yelled. “Haven’t you ever seen his test scores? They’re posted out in the hall every time we test!”

Katashi looked over at her, shocked that she was even coming to his defense at this point. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had said he was smart or had potential. Poppy angled herself toward Sketch and sneered,

“The only idiot here is you.”

“Wow.” Stark’s eyebrows rose. “I’m impressed how well you’ve trained your bitch.”

And at that, Katashi’s vision went red, his whole body tensing up, turning toward Sketch like a bull on his target when he found himself being pulled in the opposite direction. Caught off guard, he stumbled backward into Poppy, looking down at her, realizing she was the one pulling him back, but before he had a chance to respond, she stood up high on her tiptoes, pulling him down and pressing her lips to his, that sweet strawberry scent consuming him, surrounding him, and pulling him under.

*********  
Present  
*********  
Poppy’s eyes widened for a moment, considering pulling away, but something about the way that he kissed her made her feel like she just belonged there in his arms. Like he was someone familiar to her. She closed her eyes, deepening the kiss, and he pulled her back down with him to the bed.

She climbed into his lap, straddling him as he pulled her body closer to his, needing to feel her near him. Her hands drifted over his bare shoulders, appreciating the firmness of his trap muscles, skating her fingers over the strength and cut of his arms, resting them on his chest.

And something about her hands moving across his body awoke that primal beast inside of him. He let out a growl of approval, his tongue exploring her mouth as she gently nipped on his lower lip. 

“Yo, Tora, I was just wa—whoa.” Gyu paused at the door, and Poppy jumped back, nearly tumbling off of Tora’s lap before he caught her. He shot an annoyed look in Gyu’s direction, whose face flushed bright red as he fumbled with his words,

“I’m just gonna—I was—you guys can—yeah, have fun.”

And he disappeared out of sight. Poppy stiffened up in Tora’s lap, and he looked down at her, the same heat still burning in his eyes. A moment of awkward silence passed between the two of them, and Poppy slid herself off of his lap, sitting next to him, her face bright red.

“We need to talk.” Tora sighed, closing his eyes, figuring it was better to tell her sooner rather than later. “About what happened yesterday.”

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

She tasted like strawberry chapstick when he kissed her. The urgency with which she kissed him made him feel lost, and he allowed her to take control, moving her lips against his sweetly. The sound of her book clattering to the ground startled him a little, but she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and suddenly the book was forgotten.

He was afraid to touch her; afraid to do anything to make her uncomfortable or scare her. He rested his hands on her hips, and leaned into the kiss.

Katashi had kissed plenty of girls before. In fact, he was usually the initiant when it came to kissing, and he was rough with his girls. He liked the thrill of dangerous girls who liked to live life on the edge; girls who were willing to do more than just kiss him and didn’t care who was around to watch.

But when he kissed strawberry girl, it was like he was afraid she might vanish into thin air if he did something wrong. She made him feel vulnerable; like he’d never kissed a girl before her and that feeling made him feel incredibly uncomfortable, but he felt so alive all at the same time.

When she pulled away, Sketch was staring at the two of them with eyes wide open. He shook his head and muttered,

“Holy shit. Feels like I’m in an episode of the Twilight Zone.”

And he fucked right off. Poppy cleared her throat, grabbing her book, clutching it to her chest, her little safety net, and she put her head down, muttering,

“Thanks.”

And headed down the stairs and out the front door. Katashi stood stunned for a moment before snapping out of it and running down the stairs after her.

*********  
Present  
*********

“So. You’re telling me I have a hit out on me now?” Poppy asked incredulously. 

“Yeah.” Tora told her, looking down at his hands.

“But. I—I didn’t even do anything.” Poppy stammered.

“They think that you were part of the reason the shooter is dead.” Tora explained. Poppy thought back to the moment before—seeing the glint of the scope. Realizing there was a shooter. Pulling Quincey out of the way. Warning Tora.

“Oh my god.” Poppy covered her hands with her eyes. She did have something to do with the shooter’s death...but how could she have just sat there and let Quincey die? 

Tora hesitantly put a hand on her back, awkwardly rubbing comforting circles on her back and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“What do I do?” Poppy sighed.

“Ya let me take care of it.” He told her. 

“Do you mean—k—kill them?” Poppy whispered.

“It’s either them or you, Bobby.” He looked down at her. “In the meantime, you go to work with an armed escort. I’ll have eyes on ya at all times.”

She looked up at him, sensing the impending

But...

And he looked away from her, saying,

“The only thing is. Ya can’t go home. I can’t protect ya there.”

Her eyes widened as she took all of this information in. Gyu came around the corner, leaning against the doorframe, having heard everything Tora said.

“Your apartment is easy to break into.” Gyu told Poppy. “Realistically, now that there is a hit out on you and Tora, it makes more sense for you to be closer to him. He does this for a living— protecting people.”

“Are you suggesting—“ she looked back and a forth from Gyu to Tora, who flushed at that suggestion, clearing his throat, refusing to look at Poppy.

“You stay here.” Gyu plainly told her.

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

“Hey!” Katashi called after her, but strawberry girl kept walking. Katashi jogged, catching her by the arm to stop her. “Where are ya even going? Are ya just gonna walk home?”

“Well. Yeah.” She shrugged. 

“Are ya nuts? Do ya know how dangerous that is? A girl like you walking home alone at night?” Katashi sighed.

“I’ll be fine.” She told him, pulling her arm out his his grasp.

“I already had to pull Scharch off of ya.” Katashi growled. Scharch! So THAT was his name! “I’m not about to let ya walk home all alone.”

“I don’t need your help.” she told him.

“Let me give ya a ride home.” Katashi offered, searching in his pants pocket for the car key.

“No thanks.” Poppy rolled her eyes, stalking past him.

“Fine. Then I’ll walk back with you.” Katashi pressed, catching up to her. Poppy whirled around on him. What was with him? They barely knew each other and now he was trying to go out of his way to make sure she was safe? Why? 

“What’s in it for you?” Poppy pressed.

“Excuse me?” Katashi hissed.

“Why do you care so much? You never cared about me before. Why, all of the sudden, do you care now?” Poppy asked.

Katashi put his hands on his hips, scoffing incredulously. What was with this girl?

“You have some serious trust issues.” He told her. “I just—don’t like girls walking home alone.”

He knew that was a lie. It was her. He didn’t like her walking home alone. But why DID he even care so much about her? She wasn’t that special. Sure, she was cute. But he’d been fucking around with other girls that sparked more of a sexual deviancy in him. But with her—he just needed to be around her. To know she was safe. To know her. He was just drawn to her.

“Maybe I do.” She responded. 

“And I get that.” He shrugged. “But don’t do something stupid to feed ya own ego. Just—let me walk ya home. I’ll drop ya off and get the fu—Er—get out of ya hair. Ya don’t have to see me again if ya don’t want to.”

She considered his response for a moment. Then, she said,

“Fine. You can drive me home.”


	6. Anything for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for the fluff before the intensity begins!!!

6  
*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

The drive home with Katashi was...awkward to say the least. Poppy sat in the seat, drumming her fingers on her thighs and nodding while Katashi cleared just throat, trying especially hard not to look at her. He clicked on the radio and, much to his embarrassment, a rather lewd song began to blare out of the speakers, the bass booming and shaking the doorframe.

“So.” Katashi made an attempt at conversation. “Do you—Uh—usually go to parties?”

——  
I wanna  
La-la-la-lick you from your head to your toes  
And I wanna  
Move from the bed down to the  
Down to the the the  
Floor  
And I wanna  
——

“I mean—Lilibet goes to them a lot.” Poppy shrugged.

——  
I wanna get ya in the Georgia dome  
On the 50 yard line  
While the Dirty Birds kick for three  
And if ya like it in the club  
We can do it in the DJ booth  
Or in the back of the VIP  
Whipped cream with cherries and strawberries on top  
Lick it don’t stop  
——

“Oh she does?” Katashi’s face burned bright red at the lyrics as he squeaked out a response.

“Yeah. D—do you know Lilibet?” Poppy stammered, also mortified, looking everywhere but at Katashi.

——  
Or how bout on the beach with black sand  
Lick up your thigh they call me the Pac Man  
Table top or just give me a lap dance  
——

“Yeah. She’s been around at a couple of parties Quincey goes to.” Katashi put his knuckle to his lips, trying so hard to keep looking at the road, hoping the focus of driving would help all the embarrassment go away.

“So you must go to a lot of parties too, then?” Poppy suggested.

“Uh. Yeah. I get around a lot.” Katashi instantly regretted saying this, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Dumbass. She’s going to think you’re a man whore.” He chastised himself inwardly. Poppy’s eyes darted to him and then back before she drug out the words,

“Oh really.”

————-  
In a public bathroom  
Or in the back of a classroom  
However you want it  
Lover lover gonna tap that ass soon  
————-

“Well, not like—I didn’t mean. I just meant—“

Poppy burst into laughter at his flustered response, finally looking over at him as he broke into a smile realizing she was messing with him. He cast a sarcastic glance over at her and grinned,

“Didn’t think ya had jokes like that in ya.” He smirked, making eye contact with her.

———-  
See I cast em and I past em  
Get a tight grip and I grasp em  
I flash em and outlast em  
And if it ain’t good then I trash em  
While you stash em I let em free  
And they tell me what’s they fantasy  
Like up on the roof  
———-

And then promptly looking away from her.

“Thank you for—what you did for me.” Poppy flushed, grasping her jeans in a flustered embarrassment.

“Yeah. Anytime. And thanks for—uh—the—uh—the—kiss.” He wished he had just stopped at “anytime.”

———  
I wanna get you in the back seat  
Windows up  
That’s the way you like to fuck  
Clogged up  
Fog alert  
Rip the pants and rip the shirt  
Rough sex  
Make it hurt  
———

“Ooooookay.” Poppy practically punched the power button on the radio with her knuckles, shaking her hand after the impact. Katashi, in a shocked state, swallowed a bit of spit completely the wrong way and started hacking, punching his chest to loosen the itching feeling.

“Are you okay?” Poppy smacked his back, and he nodded, still choking. As awkward as the song was, at least there was some sort of noise besides road noise to drown out the awkward silence between the two of them.

“Hey. Do you feel like stopping for some food?” He asked, slowing down near a 24 hour grocery store. Poppy considered for a moment, and smiled,

“Sure. I could eat.”

*******  
Present Day  
*******

“Stay here?” Poppy repeated. She had meant for it to sound repetitive or even shocked, but it came out more like she was disgusted at the prospect of staying with Tora, who raised his eyebrows, getting up off of the bed to put a shirt on for the time being.

“I mean, it may not be the Biltmore or anything, but at least it’s a roof over ya head.” Tora grumbled, his feelings somewhat hurt.

“Oh. No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Poppy tried to reassure him, but Gyu made a small noise that sounded oddly like,

“Uh huh.”

“It’s just—I just—“ Poppy took a moment to collect her thoughts. “It’s so sudden.”

“Well, it’s not like they’re going to take a break from trying to murder ya, but shit, if ya wanna go out and ask ‘em to, then be my guest.” Tora growled, snatching his clothes off of the bed and heading into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Poppy heard the shower water come on in the bathroom.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that, don’t you?” Poppy asked.

“To be honest, ya kinda sounded like a jerk.” Gyu shrugged. For a moment, Poppy felt a stab of annoyance at that statement, but then resigned herself to the fact that if two people felt like it was bad, it must have been bad.

“Look, what I mean is: I don’t have any of my stuff: no clothes, no other shoes, no personal items, nothing.” Poppy explained. “Besides that, I barely know him.”

“What I walked in on didn’t look like ya barely knew each other.” Gyu grumbled, and Poppy flushed bright red in response. “Besides, you may not know it, but he’s been doing a hell of a lot to protect you already.”

“What do you mean?” Her brow furrowed. Gyu sat down on the bed next to her, and looked in her eyes to see if she really was meaning what she was saying.

“You really don’t know, do you?” He asked her.

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

“If I had known you were just going to grab junk food,” he told her, eyeing the can of chips she was popping the top off of, “then I probably would have just taken ya to a real restaurant and got you some real food to eat.”

Poppy narrowed her eyes at him, popping a chip in her mouth and deliberately crunching it out loud in front of him before devouring another one shortly after. He grinned at her, opening his sushi box, and tearing open the package of chopsticks to eat his late dinner.

For a moment, the two of them ate in a happy silence, before he glanced over at her, curiosity getting the better of him, and he asked,

“Did ya really mean what ya said about why ya go to study hall all the time after school?” 

Poppy slowed her chewing, and looked right back at him, saying,

“Yeah. I meant it.”

“But you’re already top of your class. Ya work so hard. Don’t ya think you deserve a break every now and then?” He pressed. She smiled gently, looking down at the snacks in her lap, and told him,

“It doesn’t come easy for me. I work hard because I struggle. Besides that, I just don’t want to risk letting my dad down. I want him not to have to worry about me.”

“I don’t think you could ever do that.” His voice was sincere, awash with concern. “I mean, shit, strawberry girl, I can see how hard ya try just by seeing ya at school everyday, and he lives with ya.”

“Poppy.” Her voice was quiet, and she looked down at her hands.

“What?” He cocked his head in confusion.

“My name is Poppy.” She told him, looking him directly in the eyes.

“‘Course. Poppy.” He grinned. She grinned back, shoving another chip in her mouth, and rolling her eyes.

“Alright, alright. Can I go home now, please?” She griped playfully.

“Right away, Miss Poppy.” He remarked with a fake British accent.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“He’s been keeping tabs on me?” Poppy seemed a little perturbed at that statement, glaring at the bathroom door.

“I don’t think ya understand how much trouble you’ve been in with the notebook.” Gyu explained. “If anyone even suspected that ya had it, you’d have already been dead. Not even Tora could’ve saved ya with the way things were going.”

Poppy nodded, her face softening a little at the new information she was hearing. She heard the shower shut off and the shower door open.

“Maybe cut him a little slack.” Gyu shrugged. “He really is trying.”

Poppy sighed as the door opened, and both Gyu and Poppy glanced over in the direction of the bathroom. Tora leaned against the door, his arms crossed, looking straight at Poppy.

“Okay.” She shrugged. “I want to stay.”

He arched an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

“But I want to go home and get some things...please.” She asked. He nodded.

“Fair enough. I’ll take ya.” He agreed. She sighed in relief. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, texting a few things before Gyu’s phone pinged. Gyu glanced down at his phone and nodded to Tora, who pushed off the door ahead of Poppy and mumbled,

“Let’s go.”

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

“Thanks for the ride tonight—and for the snacks!” Poppy grinned, packing her things back up in the grocery store bag.

“‘Course, but—“ he shrugged, looking over at her deviously.

“But what?” She was immediately suspicious of his motives...and for good reason.

“Nothing comes without a price.” He sighed, leaning back in the seat.

“Is that so?” She crossed her arms defensively. “Then what’s the price?”

“Simple.” He smiled. “Close your eyes.”

“What? Why?” She protested.

“Just do it.” He pressed.

“What are you going to do?” She whined.

“Stop asking questions. Do ya wanna pay the price or not? I could always take ya back and eat all ya food.” 

“Fine.” She huffed, her arms tightening around her body as she closed her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. She heard Katashi ruffling around in his car for a moment and felt something press into her lap.

“Okay. Go ahead and open them.” She heard him say. She looked down in her lap, seeing a beat up copy of a book. She picked the book up. It was a nondescript book, a plain red cover, tattered with little to no words on the cover or the spine. She glanced over at him and he leaned against the drivers side window on his hand, watching her examine the book.

She opened the cover of the book, flipping the page to read the words “Pride and Prejudice: Volume I. Third Edition.”

“Oh my gosh!” She gasped, her head snapping to look over at him, and his lips curled into a smile, snickering a little at her reaction.

“This—this is one of the first copies ever published!” Poppy squeaked excitedly. “This is so cool! Where did you get this?”

“Quincey likes old books a lot. I saw it somewhere once and picked it up. I’ve had it in the car ever since.” Katashi shrugged.

“He’s going to love this!” Poppy grinned, holding the book out for him to take back.

“No.” He told her, gently pushing it back. “I want you to have it.”

“But—I—I couldn’t. This is too much.” She shook her head.

“Trust me when I say it’s not.” He shrugged.

“But—why?” Her doe eyes looked at him and they were glistening with tears again, and he couldn’t help but feel overcome by her. She was just so unabashedly sincere; so sweet and innocent and pure. He just felt this need to guide her and protect her. He felt like he needed to shelter her from all the bad shit in the world that she was running into.

“Because you deserve to have nice things too, Poppy.” He explained. “You deserve to be happy. Ya work harder than anyone I know. Why not you?”

She wanted to cry and laugh all at the same time. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, and she wasn’t sure what to do. She had become accustomed to being the one to give and give until she couldn’t give anymore. And here he was, someone who barely knew her, and he was giving her one of the nicest things she had ever received.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and threw her arms around his neck, sniffling,

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and leaning into her embrace, and for the first time in his life, he found himself thinking,

“Anything for you.”

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Packing up at Poppy’s apartment took a lot longer than either of them would’ve liked. Tora had no idea that women needed so many things to survive when he was sure he could live off of food and maybe 2-3 outfits. Poppy was three suitcases into her “necessities.”

“Uh. Is there more?” He inquired, looking around the corner into her room. She glared at him over her shoulder and growled,

“I’m almost done.”

He got the fuck out of there before he got eaten alive as she rolled out her final suitcase. It had been nearly five hours since the two of them arrived at her apartment, and Tora was ready to breathe a sigh of relief as she shut the door, dusting her hands off and grinned,

“Done.”

“Finally.” He mumbled.

“Excuse me?” She sneered, crossing her arms and glancing over at him.

“I didn’t say anything.” He shrugged. Poppy eyed him suspiciously before heading over to her desk area. She grabbed her work bag and another bag from that area before he saw her reach up onto the bookshelf, pulling a single red covered book down from the shelf.

His eyes focused on that novel like a laser, studying the cover and the spine.

“Where did ya get that?” He asked, pointing to the novel.

“Oh. This?” She turned the book over in her hand, smiling down fondly at the novel in her hands. “Someone gave it to me as a gift when I was in high school.”

“Really?” He looked at her in shock, strange waves of emotions overcoming him as he looked down at her, her hands moving over the novel’s cover fondly.

“Yeah. It was—probably one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me.” She told him. He nodded, his heart swelling in his chest as he gazed at her.

“Poppy.” Her name tumbled off of his lips and just saying it made him want to cry. She took her eyes off of the book and then looked over at him,

“But I think—this might top it.”

“Wh—what do ya mean?”

“You saved my life. You watched out for me, protected me, and even now, you’re protecting me. This book is one of the most valuable things I have in my life, not because it’s worth a lot of money, but because it’s priceless to me. The boy who gave it to me was priceless to me too.” She explained. “But what you’re giving me—a chance to live. That’s everything to me. Thank you, Tora.”

She crossed the room, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest in appreciation. She breathed him in, and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his cheek to the top of her head, and thinking,

“Anything for you.”


	7. Girl On Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I’m sorry I posted so late. But it’s here!

7

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“Where are we going?” Poppy looked over at Tora, who seemed to be deep in thought as he drove, knuckle to his lips, tracing over them.

“Oh—uh. The apartment.” He told her, glancing over at her and then back to the road.

“Wasn’t the turn off for the apartment back there?” She pressed, turning around in the seat to look behind them.

“Nah. ‘S lots of different ways to get there.” He told her.

“Are you sure that—“

“Don’t be a backseat driver.”

And that effectively shut Poppy right up. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, turning on the stereo, and both of them jumped at the sudden explosion of music and bass in the car. Tora and Poppy reached over at the same time in a panic, knocking each other’s hands to turn the volume down. Poppy yanked her hand away like she had been burned, and Tora rolled his eyes, turning the volume down.

“What?” Poppy snapped. Tora shook his head, and said,

“Ya have no problem throwing ya self at me for a hug or even climbing in my lap to kiss me, but when ya touch me and it’s not in the heat of the moment, ya pull ya hand away like ya got bit by a fuckin snake.”

“I do not!” Poppy indignantly harrumphed.

“Yeah. Okay.” Tora smirked, looking away from her. Poppy narrowed her eyes at him and then reached over, snatching his hand and holding it. For a moment, Tora raised his eyebrows in surprise at her sudden gesture, then he just grinned, shaking his head. Suddenly, a devious plan hatched in his mind.

He pulled over to the side of the road, unbuckled his seatbelt, and squared his shoulders toward Poppy, who shrank back with his hand.

“What? Why are we stopping?” She nervously chittered.

“I wanna see exactly how ya feel about me.” He told her, looking straight into her eyes.

Poppy gulped audibly.

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

School that Monday had drug by a lot slower than she first assumed it would, and throughout most of the day, she found herself looking for him everywhere she went.

When she was in the hallways between classes, she would take the long way to her next class, hoping to spot him near a locker or in the courtyard smoking like he normally was, but he was nowhere to be found.

On her lunch break, she would practically run out to the courtyard to sit underneath the cherry blossom tree so he would find her there like he did before, but each time, she found herself eating alone because her friends never followed her when she was in her manic moods.

“Pops,” Lilibet snapped just after lunch. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been acting psychotic all day.”

“I haven’t.” Poppy griped back.

“You have! You haven’t said a word to anyone all day. You watch the clock, waiting for class to end, and when the bell rings, you run out the door. You’ve always been the type to take a direct route to class to avoid distractions, but you’ve gone a whole different way. You’ve barely made it to class on time, and now at lunch, you disappear and end up eating alone? What’s going on?” She demanded, crossing her arms. Yua and Niko leaned in to listen as the three of them sat close to each other in class.

“I’ve just—wanted to start trying to be normal?” Poppy squeaked out. Niko made a face of disbelief at Poppy, her mouth in an odd sneer of disapproval.

“Could it have anything to do with you kissing Katashi?” Yua prodded, her mouth curling up into a devious smile. Lilibet’s eyes nearly popped out of her head and Niko’s mouth hung open in shock.

“You did WHAT!” Lilibet shrieked.

“Wha—I—well, it was—he was—and I—oh no.” Poppy put her head in her hands to avoid the onslaught of questions that she knew was coming.

“You kissed Katashi?” Lilibet pressed, nudging Poppy, who sighed and nodded.

“Oh. My. God.” Lilibet grinned. “I didn’t think you’d go for the rough and tumble types.”

“I don’t. I’m not.” Poppy stammered.

“I heard he gave you a ride home too. How did that go?” Yua pressed.

“You were in a car alone with him?” Lilibet leaned forward excitedly. “My god, it’s like I don’t even know you.”

“Who keeps telling you all this stuff?” Poppy grumbled.

“Everyone knows.” Yua shrugged.

“Everyone?” Poppy looked around the room, catching a few curious glances intermixed with some jealous and angry stares being cast her way.

“Oh no.” Poppy put her head down on the desk and Lilibet patted her back sympathetically. Niko laid her head on the desk, making eye contact with Poppy before saying with wide eyes,

“So...tell us about the car ride home.” 

*********

The moment the school bell rang, Poppy felt an immediate sense of release. She gathered all of her materials together quickly, Yua, Lilibet, and Niko scrambling to follow as she practically ran out into the courtyard searching for him.

There he was across the courtyard, leaning casually against one of the lunch tables, smoking a cigarette with his friends. She saw one of Katashi’s friends nudge him, and then nod over to where Poppy was standing. Katashi glanced over in her direction, making eye contact with her, and Poppy beamed at him, biting her lip.

Katashi smirked at her, then rolled his eyes, turning his back on her. Poppy’s smile fell, her face burning in embarrassment. She turned around, feeling a lump rising in her throat.

“He probably just didn’t see you, Pops.” Niko told her. “Don’t worry.”

Lilibet turned her back around, massaging her shoulders like she was in a boxing ring. Poppy saw Katashi’s friends staring over at their group, one of them lighting up another cigarette, shaking his head. One of his friends nudged Katashi’s shoulder, shoving him and pointing over at Poppy. 

Begrudgingly, Katashi made his way over toward Poppy, her friends shoving her forward and into his chest. Katashi steadied Poppy, putting his hands in his pocket and shifting uncomfortably.

“Everything okay?” Katashi mumbled.

“Yeah. Yeah. All fine.” Poppy felt incredibly shy in front of him, biting her lip to keep from grinning like a fool.

“Why are you acting like this?” Katashi looked down at her.

“Acting like what?” Poppy’s smile fell, and she looked up, catching his eye. 

“Looking for me. Asking about me.” Katashi pressed. “It’s—weird.”

Poppy felt that same lump rise in her throat all over again.

“I—I’m—“

“Seriously, Poppy. Ya came onto me. I drove ya home. Gave ya a fuckin’ book.” Katashi mumbles, shrugging as he kicked his feet around. “Ya act like there was somethin’ special.”

“Yeah. Of course. You’re right.” Poppy tried to force a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. She tried to take a deep breath to steel her nerves, but it came out as a sob. Katashi looked over at her quickly, and he immediately regretted saying anything to her. She turned away from him quickly, power walking back to her friends who excitedly asked her,

“How did it go?”

“What did he say?”

“What happened?”

“Just—I want to go home.” Poppy passed them all quickly, holding it together just long enough to reach the restroom, head to the largest bathroom stall, lock the door, and collapse onto the floor in tears.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“What does that even mean? ‘Exactly how I feel about you’” Poppy’s heart was practically beating out of her chest.

“I want to know what I can do. What you’re okay with. What you’re not okay with because honestly, ya give me whiplash every time ya react to me.” He explained.

“Okay.” Poppy uncertainly grumbled. Tora turned down the music, lifting up the center console. He scooted close to her so that they were practically thigh to thigh.

“I’m going to do something. You stop me when it’s too much.” He told her. She swallowed hard, then nodded in understanding. 

He reached over, grabbing her other hand, lacing her fingers in his, and then looked up at her in question. She looked back. Then, he leaned toward her, running his fingers on her face. She closed her eyes, breath trembling, then met his eyes. His fingers grazed along her neck to her shoulders, goosebumps raising on her skin. He turned his attention to his hands, which continued their journey around her back. 

He stopped at her lower back, looking in her eyes for permission to continue. When she didn’t say anything, he released her other hand, putting his hands around her waist and pulling her into his lap, her legs straddling his waist. 

Her breath sped up. She felt nervous at the jolting of her body on his, but something inside of her felt excited; the thrill of being in his lap, against his beautiful body, and he wanted her. Her heart was beating nearly out of her chest, and she closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. He placed his hands on her upper thighs and yanking her closer into his body, and she opened her eyes in shock, finding him watching her reaction diligently. She felt like any moment she might hyperventilate, but she just wasn’t ready to stop.

He ran his hands up the sides of her body, appreciating her waist and the outer curve of her breasts, grazing them, moving along her neck to her face. She leaned into his hand, her eyes heated, watching him, waiting for him, feeling an insatiable hunger for him. 

He sat up straight, tilting his head to the side, slowly moving toward her. He met her eyes for a brief moment, waiting for her consent, and when she said nothing, simply staring back, he moved to close the space between their lips, but Poppy closed it for him, crashing into him with a heated force, groaning against his lips in appreciation as he tangled his hands in her hair, thankful he had made it this far, wanting so badly to make up for everything he had done.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

Poppy was incredibly thankful that Lilibet, Yua, and Niko hadn’t come looking for her. She had been in the restroom for at least an hour, waiting for the schoolyard to clear out so she could at least escape the humiliation for one day. She knew coming back to school the next day was going to be pure hell, but at least, for today, she could escape the prying eyes and nasty rumors.

Poppy got off of the floor, heading to the mirror. Looking back at her was a girl she didn’t recognize: a splotchy faced, red eyed girl who had found herself in a situation that was entirely preventable. She knew better than to mess around with someone like Katashi. She knew his reputation for womanizing, and she knew that there was no way possible he could ever be interested in her. It was like Scarch had said: he was fire and she was ice. And now because she had dared to hope, because she had dared to believe that she could be worthy of someone like him, here she was this pitiful girl crying, humiliating herself, looking like an absolute shit show in front of the entire school, and she had allowed him to make her into this person. She reached up, her hand touching the mirror, looking herself in the eyes.

“This is not who you are.” She chastised herself. “You are strong. You are worth more than this. You’re better than this.”

She took a deep breath, splashing water on her face, and nodding at her reflection.

“Do better, Poppy.” She pepped herself up. “Be better.”

And at that, she situated herself again, digging deep to find a better mindset and marching out the door. The school was already dark by the time she left, but there was still plenty of light to get home.

Poppy headed out the front set of doors, breathing a sigh of relief at the empty courtyard. She dug through her bag, finding a pair of headphones and an MP3 player, and putting on a song that made her feel invincible.

————-  
She’s just a girl and she’s on fire  
Hotter than a fantasy, longer than a highway  
She’s living in a world, and it’s on fire  
Feeling the catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away  
————-

She smiled to herself, rounding the corner of the brick wall that denoted the school’s grounds, even skipping a little before she ran smack into another person.

“Oh my god, I’m so—“ she glanced up, seeing it was Katashi, and walked right past him.

————-  
Oh, she’s got both feet on the ground  
And she’s burning it down  
Oh, she’s got her head in the clouds  
And she’s not backing down  
————

“Poppy, wait.” She heard his muffled voice say, and she just turned her headphones up louder, picking up her pace. He caught up to her, grabbing her arm to pull her around, and pulling her headphones off of her head. She pushed pause on her MP3 player, pulling her headphones back onto her neck. 

She wanted to scream at him, curse him out, punch him in the face. There were so many things she could have done, but I’m the end, what would that have done?

Instead she said,

“What do you need?”

Her voice was calm, collected, and it scared the shit out of him. He had expected a more hysterical or even violent response.

“I just wanted to—see if you were okay.” He told her. She stared at him incredulously. He wanted to make sure she was okay? After what he did? After he had humiliated her in front of everyone? After he made her cry? It was just so ludicrous, and Poppy snorted before breaking out into full on laughter. She leaned forward patting him on the shoulder, before shouldering past him, putting her headphones on and turning her music back on, continuing her walk.

—————————  
This girl is on fire  
This girl is on fire  
She’s walking on fire  
This girl is on fire  
—————————

“No, Poppy, Wait.” Katashi pulled her arm again.

“My god, Katashi. What is the problem?” She snapped at him, turning around with a smile. “Look at me. I’m fine.”

“Well you didn’t seem fine earlier when—“ Katashi grumbled.

“When what?” She pressed. Katashi looked away from her in shame, his hands in his pockets. 

“It’s like you said. I came onto you. You just drove me home. And what was the last part?” Poppy thought for a second. “You gave me a fucking book. Right?”

He couldn’t bring himself to look in her eyes when she spoke to him. It was like listening to an adult chastise him. 

———————  
Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame  
So bright she could burn your eyes  
Better look the other way  
You can try, but you’ll never forget her name  
She’s on top of the world  
Hottest of the hottest girls  
————————

“Listen, Katashi. I understand. You and me, we don’t mesh, right? I’m this girl that studies all the time, you go out with your friends, get stoned, and mess around with other girls, and that’s okay.” She smiled. “I appreciate what you did for me at the party. I will forever be grateful for that. And I even appreciate the gift. It was so nice of you, but let’s not pretend we know each other anymore. And please, stop pretending you care about me when you made it pretty obvious in front of the whole school that you don’t.”

And at that, Poppy put her headphones on, put her hands in her pockets and walked away, leaving a shocked Katashi standing frozen in his tracks, absolutely stunned at how everything went down, and realizing that he threw away the best person he had in his life at the time.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy rocked her hips against Tora, taking in everything he was willing to give her. Tora pulled her head back, lips moving feverishly against her neck, and Poppy sighed in appreciation. 

“You are do goddamn beautiful.” He smiled against her neck, nipping her a little. She grabbed his chin, capturing his mouth again. And as badly as he wanted to keep going, he knew better than to attempt to move things further along.

“Let’s stop.” He whispered, and she nodded, climbing off of his lap. He looked over at her, grinning, and she flushed. “Let’s get out of here.”

****

Tora stopped the car in front of a large skyscraper, getting out of the car, and pulling Poppy’s door open. A concierge came around the car, taking the keys to Tora’s car as Tora said,

“We have a few bags in the back.”

The concierge nodded, and Tora came around the car, leading Poppy by her lower back into the building. Heading into the lobby, he checked his phone, before escorting Poppy to the elevator. He pushed the button to the top floor. The doors closed, and the elevator ascended, taking the two of them to the top floor.

Tora guided Poppy down the long hallway to the last room on the right. He lifted up the flap of the keypad on the door, typing on a code, and opening the door, guiding Poppy inside the room.

“Oh my—“ Poppy was absolutely astounded by the room: floor to ceiling windows across the entire living room, a kitchen just off the entry with white marble counter tops, sterling silver appliances, and a full bar. Plush white couches with gray fur accent pillows and gray fur throws lay on the couches, low brown coffee tables with gentle flickering candles adding a beautiful accent.

“This is so beautiful.” Poppy nearly cried. “Why are we here?”

“This is ya new home while ya with me.” He told her, shuffling feet around, grinning a little. She squeaked in excitement and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek,

“Thank you so much!”

“‘Course.” He smiled at her, his eyes darkening a bit. He knew that she might not remember, but he would spend a long time making up for the damage that he had done. “But you know the rules.”

“I should have expected this.” Poppy rolled her eyes. “Go on, ya big thug. What is it this time?”

“Well. There’s only one bed.” Tora shrugged. “Ya have to share it with me.”

For a moment, Poppy was shocked at this. He held her eye contact for a long time, before she finally stood up straight, sauntering over to him, kissing him on the cheek, nipping his ear, much to his complete arousal, and whispering,

“You got it.”


	8. Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today. It’s been a little crazy my way. Hopefully tomorrow things will slow down a little.

8  
*********  
Present Day  
*********  
When Poppy had suggested that she was okay with sharing a bed with Tora, she hadn’t really thought that far ahead. For one, coming into the bedroom and seeing a shirtless Tora lying on his side, scrolling through his phone was nearly enough to give Poppy a nosebleed. For another, they had never really established the boundaries of the bed and how—close—they were going to be.

Poppy had brushed her teeth about five times, obsessively, applied deodorant at least twice, put on a sweet smelling lotion, brushed her hair several times, and even spritzed body spray, but she still felt absolutely self-conscious. Besides that, what if she snored in her sleep?

Poppy gripped the sides of the sink trying to psych herself up for bed.

“At this rate,” she thought to herself. “You’re not going to get any sleep.”

“And why is that, missy?” She found her conscience replying back inwardly. “Could it be because there’s a Greek god that’s going to be lying in bed next to you and you want to climb him like a tree?”

“Oh my god!” Poppy shook her head violently. “I can’t believe I just thought that!”

“Okay, okay! Calm down. You’re just going to bed. It’s just bed. You sleep. Nothing has to happen. Relax.” Poppy took a deep breath in and headed out of the bathroom, turning off the light and shutting the door.

She pulled the blankets back next to him, seeing him glance over his shoulder at her, his mouth curling up into a smile as she slid herself into the bed next to him. He set his phone down on the nightstand and turned his body to face her. Poppy clutched the blankets to her chest, and she saw him glance down at her hands clutching the blanket, and then look back up at her.

“Nervous?” He grinned, obviously making fun of her. Poppy’s heart was beating a million miles an hour and she nodded her head, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat.

“Why?” He asked her, those dark locks falling over his shoulders, bright golden eyes looking back at her, concerned.

“I—I haven’t shared a b—bed with anyone in a while.” She told him. 

“What d’ ya think I’m gonna do to ya, Poppy?” He asked. “I would never do anything without ya consent.”

She nodded, taking a deep breath, and saying, “I know what would fix this.”

He looked at her in question.

“Let’s see what I can do before we both say enough is enough.” She smiled.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

It had been about three days since Poppy’s humiliation in the courtyard, and people still talked. When she walked in the hall, she still felt the heat of a hundred stares and the hiss of a hateful whispers.

Poppy had gone back to her normal life for the most part, going to back to her study hall once the bell rang and returning back to her routine of becoming absorbed in her schoolwork. She had resolved to forget about him and just chalk it up to a learning experience.

The bell for lunch rang without much fanfare, and all of the students flocked to their temporary freedom in all directions. Like she usually did, Poppy opted to have her lunch outside. Even though that meant an uncomfortable few minutes realizing that she and Katashi both shared the outside courtyard at that given time, Poppy wasn’t really willing to rearrange her life around him just because it was uncomfortable. Eventually, things would get back to the way they were

Katashi glanced over at Poppy from across the courtyard, unable to shake the feeling that what he had done to her was wrong, but unsure of how to proceed from that point forward. On the one hand, he had his image to maintain. If he approached her in front of them, he would never live it down, and as a budding Balthuman associate, all he had was his reputation. On the other hand, if he tried to approach her without anyone around, she would see right through him and avoid him at all costs. Maybe it was just best to let her be.

Poppy glanced up from her reading, feeling his eyes on her and she made eye contact with him. At first, it seemed impassive, uncaring, but quickly, he saw a look of concern spread across her face. She slowly shut her book, her mouth remaining unmoving as she seemed to stare in his direction. Before he could question it further, an older woman walked past Katashi, straight toward Poppy. From what he could see, the old woman seemed concerned too. Poppy stood up to meet her, the old woman taking her hands and explaining something to Poppy, who looked down at her feet, listening to what she was saying and nodding, wiping her eyes as the old woman spoke.

The old woman led a Poppy by the hand, guiding her toward the school building. Katashi glanced over toward the tree where Poppy had seemingly abandoned her things. He pushed off of the lunch table, grabbing her bag and putting her things inside of it before slinging it over his shoulder, the little plush unicorn keychain swaying back and forth on the zipper.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy took a deep breath, and whispered,

“Okay.”

She figured if she could get over this fear of touching him, maybe she could relax. She reached out with shaking hands, placing her hand over his. He glanced down at her hand, lacing his fingers in hers, then met her eyes again.

Tora was fairly certain he would allow her to do anything to him that she wanted to do without protest. She squeezed her eyes shut and scooted her body toward him, her body against his, head lying on his bicep, and he let go of her hand, running his fingers through her hair, gazing down at her.

Opening her eyes, she propped herself up on her elbow, taking her free hand and gently guiding his shoulder back so he was lying on his back. She moved herself next to him, molding her body in his side, hitching her leg over his stomach and sighing comfortably.

It was taking everything Tora had in him not to yank her up by that leg she had hitched over his side. His hands grazed up her thigh, toward her hips, and she shivered in appreciation. At that point, his body reacted, and he pulled her up into his lap, sitting up, his hand moving over the back of her head, two intense, burning amber eyes gazing into his own.

“I—I’m supposed to be the one in c—control.” Poppy stammered. He made a low growl and then leaned forward, his lips close to hers saying,

“Ya make it hard to keep my hands off of ya.” 

“You’re going to have to try.” Poppy’s voice was shaking as she looked into those intimidating golden eyes, which closed, trying to restrain himself.

“Maybe I don’t want to. Maybe I like touching you.” He smiled, his hands running up her sides.

“Are you used to getting what you want from women?” Poppy pressed, her voice breathy.

“All except one.” He told her, pulling her forward, lips trailing kisses down her neck.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

Poppy didn’t show up for school the next day or the day after that. In fact, it had been nearly a week since the last time Katashi had seen her, and a part of him had begun to worry. It was so out of character for her to miss school.

Outside in the courtyard, he approached Lilibet, who crossed her arms and glared at him,

“What the hell so you want?” She sneered. 

“I just— is—is Poppy okay?” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Why do you care?” Lilibet countered.

“Because she’s been gone a week and when she left, it seemed like something was wrong.” Katashi shrugged. 

“All of the sudden you care about her and how she feels? You’re worried about her? Where was the concern when you embarrassed her out her last week?” Lilibet bit back, and Katashi ducked his head in shame.

“Forget it.” Katashi grumbled, stalking away.

*********

Katashi pulled up in front of the little house. Finding her has been easy. He had friends who could hack into the office computers and find her address. The hard part was what he was going to do now. He drummed his fingers in the steering wheel, thinking,

“What do I say to her? ‘Hey, I noticed ya haven’t been at school lately. I was worried.’”

But how could he? Why was he even so worried about her? He got out of his car, heading to the door and taking a deep breath. He raised his hand up, hesitated a moment, and then knocked on the door.

He waited a moment before he heard a slight shuffling inside. The door opened and there stood the old woman who had come to get Poppy. She paused, waiting for him to announce his intentions.

“Hi. I’m just—I’m here—uh— does Poppy live here?” He asked, scratching his head in discomfort. 

“She does.” The old woman answered, studying him curiously.

“She does? Is she okay? How is she?” Katashi pressed. The old woman looked at him like he was insane.

“Not well, but that’s to be expected.” The old woman crossed her arms.

“Not well.” He mumbled, nodding.

“Her father passed away this morning.” She explained. As if on cue, Poppy emerged from the dining room, closing the door. She looked absolutely exhausted: dark circles under her puffy red eyes, walking like a zombie into another room. 

“I—I’m so sorry.” He whispered looking down. “Will you please tell her Katashi stopped by and that he’s sorry for everything?”

The old woman nodded, gently closing the door, and Katashi fell down on the steps, his head in his hands. How could this happen to someone like her? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. She deserved better than this—better than what he had done to her. Just. Better.


	9. Moving On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. Heavy chapter ahead.

9  
*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********  
Katashi had learned of her father’s funeral in the newspaper. That morning, when he woke up, he borrowed one of Quincey’s suits. Although it was a little shorter and tighter than he would have liked, at least he could look nice for the funeral.

He pulled up outside of the funeral home, and a pang of sickening nostalgia spread into his stomach. Katashi hated funerals because it took him back to the death of his parents. There wasn’t much of a funeral for them when they died, and he really hadn’t gotten to say goodbye. They were Jane and John Does in the city morgue for quite a while, and the city had made the decision to go ahead and cremate them, so all he really had to say goodbye to was two boxes of ashes.

He took a deep breath and got out of the car, marching up the steps to the little brick building. It seemed fairly nondescript, all things considered. It had a little sign outside that read “Ankre Funeral Home” written one older script letters. There were three concrete steps with wrought iron railing into a building that, to Katashi, resembled a larger version of a cracker box with windows.

Once inside, older floral wallpaper and plush red shag carpeting caught his attention. Near the front entrance, a picture of Poppy’s father sat, and so was there a guestbook to sign. Katashi shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his tie, seeing people milling around, speaking in hushed voices, and drinking little cups of black styrofoam coffee.

“Katashi, right?” He heard a voice call. He turned over his shoulder seeing the older woman again, who approached Katashi. Her loose black dress reminded him a bit of a potato sack with long sleeves, pearls glinting around her neck. She reached out to shake his hand, and Katashi rose his hand and took hers gently. He was pretty sure she had the softest hands he had ever felt before in his life.

“I’m Rose, Poppy’s grandmother.” She smiled, giving his hand a tiny squeeze before letting it go. 

“Katashi—Poppy’s f—friend.” He felt ashamed of himself for lying. He was no friend to her.

“Thank you got coming to support Poppy. Even though it may not seem like it, she needs it.” Rose smiled, and Katashi ducked his head, nodding vigorously.

“She’s sitting over there.” Rose pointed, motioning to a secluded corner of the room with bench seating. A small figure clad in a black dress and pearl necklace sat, glancing around the room in a daze, her pale face and frail body motionless against the milling crowd. 

“Thank you.” He nodded, and reluctantly, he found himself approaching her. He passed through the cloud of perfume and coffee, courteously shifting through the crowd before he sat down next to Poppy on the seat, leaning forward, forearms against his knees, hands folded together. At first, he looked at the ground, trying to muster up the courage to say something to her. Then, he took a deep breath, and said,

“I’m so sorry, Poppy. For everything.”

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Poppy sat forward in Tora’s lap.

“Are you used to getting what you want from women?” Poppy pressed, her voice breathy.

“All except one.” He told her, pulling her forward, lips trailing kisses down her neck. Poppy smiled, closing her eyes, appreciating those heated kisses. 

“What do you want from me?” Poppy whispered. The kisses stopped, lips trailing back up her neck, planting a kiss in her jaw and her cheek until he was looking at her again.

“What do ya want to give me?” Tora said seriously, his hands tracing up her thighs, gently gripping on to her upper thighs. 

What DID she want to give him? She would be lying if she said she hasn’t fantasized about what getting him into bed would be like, but was she really willing to give her body away again? Did she trust him not to do what Julri had done?

Tora had left her once before, trying to protect her. What’s to say he wouldn’t do it again?

“Everything.” Poppy hesitated, putting her forehead in his, looking down. Gently. He picked her chin up.

“But?” He wanted her to see him. He wanted to squash those concerns that were plaguing her mind, and eradicate whatever doubts she had about him. He wanted to do anything he could to get her to look at him the way that she did before.

“But—what if you leave again?” Poppy whispered. “How do I know you’re not like this with all girls? You always tease me about your women. What makes this any different?”

“You do.” He answered, without skipping a beat. “Sure, I had my women. ‘Course. We all have our past, but who am I in bed with? Who do I keep coming back to? Who am I willing to put my life on the life for and not because I have to, but because I want to?”

“But we’ve only know each other a few weeks.” She sighed.

“Have we?” His voice was shaking. Poppy’s eyes met his, and she looked at him in question. Did he really want to go here? To rehash everything from before? To explain himself?

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

Poppy’s head slowly turned to look over at Katashi. His head was still down, looking at the ground and as much as she wanted to keep this strong facade up, she just couldn’t find it in herself emotionally to keep building up walls to shut him out, especially when all he had to do was just show up and apologize in order to break them down again.

She put a hand on his, and he looked up at her in shock. She squeezed his hand gently, smiling at him.

“I forgive you.” She smiled. He let out an audible sigh of relief and nodded. About that time, the chapel doors swung open. The group of people milling about parted, and Rose appeared before Poppy, who stood to take her grandmother’s hand. 

Feeling Poppy’s hand slip out of his was unexpectedly painful for him as he watched her go, then stood to file into the chapel with the rest of the patrons. 

Katashi sat just behind Poppy, at an angle where he could see her face. She didn’t cry during the funeral; just sat, as she had in the lobby, looking straight ahead, a tear never once falling down her face as the service went on. In the warm rays of light cascading from the church windows, she looked like an angel. She was just so— beautiful. Even when she looked so sad, there was this purity about her, this incandescent innocence that drew him to her like a moth to a flame, but he was so afraid of being the darkness that extinguished that flame.

“What’s wrong with that girl?” She heard two people whisper behind him. “She’s not even crying and it’s her own father. It’s just so—strange.”

Katashi whirled around on them, staring them down, and they promptly scooted down the pew in terror, falling silent for the rest of the service.

He waited as the service ended, all the people filing up to the coffin to say their final goodbyes to Poppy’s father until only Poppy stood alone in front of the coffin, her grandmother and the priest leaving her on her own. He felt like he should leave; give her her privacy in her last moments alone with her father, but he felt like he might break in two if he left her alone. 

Poppy reached up, touching the lid of the coffin, running her hands over the smooth, glossy surface. She lay her body down on top of the coffin and the tears came in waves crashing over her again and again. The tears fell over the gentle curves of the coffin, her wails filling the church as she finally let herself go and allowed herself to succumb to the sadness that had been eating her up inside, as she sobbed,

“Oh, Daddy.”

Katashi wanted more than anything to run up there and take her in his arms and just hug her. More than that, he wished he could take that pain away from her; that he could give her her dad back, but that’s not how life worked and he knew it. 

He felt tears streaming down his face, watching her fall apart in front of him, knowing there was nothing he could possibly do to ease her suffering.

Eventually, she pulled herself together, and went out the side doors, where her grandmother waited for her.

Katashi went back up the church aisle, pacing around the empty lobby before he squatted down in a corner, overcome with emotion, heaving sobs overwhelming him.

“What’s the matter with ya?” He chastised himself inwardly.

“I don’t know. I don’t know why I feel this way. I just want it all to stop.” He found himself answering back inwardly.

He glanced up from where he was sitting, seeing the guest book sitting there. He wiped his eyes with the too short sleeves of his suit jacket, and stood up, approaching the guest book.

Inside, messages of support were scrawled in many types of writing. He had never been one to write messages because he always felt like words could never fully convey what actions could, but in this one particular instance—just this once. Maybe he could do this.

For her.

He picked up the golden pen that lay in the crease of the book, then set the pen to the page, the words flowing out in torrents as he wrote, vigorously pouring himself out on the paper to her.

“Are you a family member?” He heard a voice ask just as he finished. He felt absolutely drained. He turned to see an employee of the funeral home standing behind him.

“Yes.” He lied, placing the pen down.

“You’ve been here a while, writing.” The woman commented. He glanced over his shoulder at the book self-consciously, then ducked his head, shuffling his feet.

“Yeah.” He agreed. She cast a knowing look in his direction, approaching the book, taking the pen out of the book and closing it. She held it out to him.

“Why don’t you take this and give this to her?” Her smile was faint, and he hesitated a moment before finally taking the book with a nod.

“Thanks.” He said, and she nodded, going back to picking everything up around the home. 

Katashi tucked the book under his arm, heading down the stairs and getting into his car. He reached over the seat, grabbing Poppy’s backpack, the little unicorn plush swaying back and forth, as he pulled open the bag, putting the guest book in there and zipping it back up.

He adjusted his rear view mirror, looking at himself. Something about that day had been cathartic—Like, he needed it to be able to be free of the burden he had been carrying. And now that he was, he could move on.

He started the car, pulled out of the parking space, and with one last look back at the funeral home, he moved on.


	10. Conspiracy

10  
*********  
Present  
*********  
“But we’ve only known each other a few weeks.” She sighed.

“Have we?” His voice was shaking. Poppy’s eyes met his, and she looked at him in question. He couldn’t help but meet her eyes, lacing his fingers in hers, and she glanced down staring at their hands laced together. She could tell he was deep in thought, and he raised her hand to his lips, kissing it.

“Give me a second.” He told her, gently guiding her off of him, and pulling the blankets back. He disappeared for a moment, and she heard his rustling around in a different room. When he returned to the room, she saw he was carrying a black bag, a plush unicorn swinging from the bag. Poppy stared at the bag, unable to shake the feeling of familiarity.

He set the bag down on the bed, sitting down next to her.

“What’s this?” She asked him, turning the plush unicorn in her hand.

“Open it.” He told her, his eyes fixed on her.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

Poppy took a deep breath at the threshold of the school door. She clicked her heels together uncomfortably, pulling on the leather straps of her backpack that her grandmother got her. She rested her hand on the door, pausing for a moment.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to really go through with this; to be “the girl that lost her dad.” For people to treat her like a charity case, a pity party. She hated that more than anything.

“Okay.” She pushed the door open, heading inside. The halls were empty, students already in their classrooms. She had already checked into the office and was on the way to her class, when a tall, dark shape stepped in her way.

“Poppy?” That voice asked. She looked up to see Katashi, standing in front of her, those beautiful golden eyes looking down at her in concern. She froze, saying nothing, clutching onto her backpack straps and squeezing her eyes shut, looking down.

“I—I can’t do this.” She turned on her heel, and started to flee the building. Katashi ran around her, holding her by her shoulders, saying,

“Whoa whoa whoa.”

She was trying everything she could to hold it together, but she just couldn’t be sure if she could accept this as her new normal; her new life.

“I can’t be here.” She told him.

“Why—yes you can—you can. You can do this.” He told her, looking down at her eyes.

“Yeah.” She felt herself beginning to hyperventilate, and Katashi smiled at her. With a little forced smile, she nodded at him.

Out of nowhere, Poppy heard the doors behind her burst open and she jumped toward the corner. Everything happened in slow motion as a stream of navy blurs came rushing through the door. She watched in terror as several police officers grabbed Katashi by his arms slamming him to the ground.

“You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder.” She heard a voice echo through her mind because it just didn’t feel like any of this was real.

Katashi stared back at her, trying to look as calm as possible even though he was panicking on the inside. How would this change the way that she saw him? Would she be afraid of him? 

Poppy backed up against the wall, clutching her backpack straps watching them press him to the ground. He grimaced against the pain of them on his shoulders and his back, putting the cuffs on tightly, and yanking him up. 

“You have the right to remain silent—“ the began just like they always do, and as they marched him out the door, their eyes met one more time, and he felt the sympathy in her gaze. He couldn’t take it, those eyes looking at him like that, and he looked away from her, knowing it would probably be a while until he saw her again.

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Poppy glanced up at Tora, pulling open the zipper of the bag, and looking inside. There, in the depths of that old, tattered backpack, she pulled out the book she had been reading the day that she got news that her father was sick. She flipped it open, seeing her name written inside the cover. She ran her hands over the cover of the book in shock.

Reaching in again, she pulled out a folder, opening it and seeing several pages of homework and study sheets tumbling into her lap.

She pulled out her lunchbox, which had since been cleaned out and the cutesy little unicorn water bottle, also cleaned and kept in good condition.

Finally, there was only one item left, and she pulled it out. It was a plain white book with gold lined pages. Embossed in Golden writing, the book said: Our Thoughts and Hearts Go Out to You. With shaking hands, she flipped open the cover of the book, a funeral program falling out. She picked it up, examining it, and felt her heart melt in her chest. There, smiling up at her, was her father.

“W—where did you get this?” Her voice cracked, tears pooling in her eyes again. Tora remained silent, watching her read through the pages and pages of comments and well wishes for her and about her dad until she stopped on one page in particular.

It was scrawled in very familiar handwriting, and the message took up the whole page. She put her hand to her mouth, looking down at the message, stifling a sob, then looking back up at Tora, then back down again at the message.

She wiped her eyes and began to read the message.

*******  
7 Years Ago  
*******

Katashi didn’t come back that week. When Poppy researched the reason for arrest, she found multiple articles about his involvement in an illegal organization and that organization’s involvement in taking down a rival organization. Although it didn’t list him by name because he was a minor, she knew it was him.

When Poppy got home from school each day, she researched court cases in his name, trying to keep up with all of the legal lingo in those databases, but finding herself unable to understand, so she spent hours more researching until she finally did.

She read about the lawyer involved in his case, which the Balthuman Organization personally provided, and discovered he had taken on and won several high profile cases. Because Katashi was seventeen, he was to be tried as an adult, which carried a higher risk of a longer term.

“What are you up so late reading?” Poppy heard her grandmother ask. Her grandmother’s eyes skimmed the page Poppy was reading, and Poppy stretched out for a moment before turning to look at her grandmother.

“Poppy, why are you reading about sentences for conspiracy to commit murder?” Her grandmother seemed concerned by this and Poppy grinned at her deviously, saying,

“Remember how I told you I always hated my first period teacher?”

Her grandmother’s eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing again, realizing Poppy was joking.

“Oh ha ha. Very funny.” She dryly responded. Poppy’s face fell for a moment, and she said,

“Katashi is being charged with conspiracy to commit murder.”

“That boy who came to visit the house? The one from the funeral?” Her grandmother questioned. Poppy nodded, and her grandmother shook her head solemnly. “I didn’t think he had it in him.”

“I don’t think he does.” Poppy shrugged. Her grandmother nodded, deep in thought.

“I—I want to ask you for something. And I’m asking you to trust my judgement.” Poppy’s heart was beating wildly. She knew that what she was going to ask her grandmother would probably never allow her to do especially based on the circumstances, but she had to try.

“Well?” Her grandmother pressed.

“I want—to visit him—Katashi.” Poppy started. She could see a glint of disapproval run across her grandmother’s eyes.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Her grandmother pressed. “You just lost your father, and it’s a good possibility you’re going to lose your friend now too if he goes away for a long time. Is that the last memory you want of him? Behind glass in an orange jumpsuit?”

“I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if I didn’t see him or at least try to visit. He was there for me when I needed someone. Shouldn’t I be there for him?” Poppy asked, those little brown doe eyes looking up at her grandmother, pleading for her to allow this.

Her grandmother really had a lot to consider. On the one hand, this was a young girl who was still healing from the loss of her father. She was fragile and needed guidance to keep her from spreading herself too thin physically and emotionally, and the need to protect her was overwhelming. 

On the other hand, she understood Poppy’s need to be a good friend and how that might adversely affect her too if she didn’t let her go to him in his time of need. Not only that, but she was sure the boy didn’t have much of anyone himself for a support system.

Her grandmother took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay, Poppy. I’ll take you to see him.” She agreed. Poppy nodded, returning back to her research before her grandmother left the room, shutting the door. She paused outside for a moment, wondering if she had made the right decision, but she resigned herself to the fact that what was done was done. She had to be consistent even in her doubts.

Inside the room, Poppy pulled up a picture of Katashi’s mugshot. He looked exhausted, angry, but Poppy saw something else reflected in his eyes—fear. She ran her fingers over the screen knowing good and well that he may have been involved in this dangerous organization. Maybe he was involved in conspiracy to commit murder.

She could choose to be afraid of all of these facts and stay away. She knew that entangling herself in any of this could lead to some very negative consequences in her life, but at this point, what did she have left to lose. The biggest part of her life was gone. And of the two people who really had been a support system to her after her father died, only one of them could be around her to help her and be there for her now.

She needed this. She needed to do this for herself. But most importantly:

She needed to do this for him.


	11. Mood Swings

11  
*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
Poppy sat behind the glass panel that divided the inmates from their visitors. She waited, nervously tapping her foot for him to come in. After what seemed like ages, she saw the door open behind the glass and in he walked: that once spiky light brown hair shaved down to a buzz cut, bright golden eyes a darker shade, accented by bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and dark circles. He glared at the officer threateningly as the officer shoved him toward his seat. Immediately, she felt intimidated by him. 

Katashi glanced up at Poppy, a sneer on his face, a black eye swelling on his left eye as he begrudgingly reached for the phone. With shaking hands, Poppy reached for the phone too.

“What the fuck are YOU doing here?” He spat through the phone. Poppy winced against his words, unprepared for the onslaught of absolute hatred.

“I—I wanted to visit you a—and let you know that I support you. I know you would never—never do this—what they’re accusing you of.” Poppy stammered, trying and failing to keep her cool under pressure.

“Is that so? Ya don’t think I would, huh?” He was mocking her, leaning forward. Poppy swallowed hard, shaking her head.

“You don’t know shit about me.” He growled at her. 

“He’s angry. He’s in here for something he didn’t do and he’s angry. He’s not mad at you. Keep trying, Poppy. This isn’t your fault.” She told herself.

“I know that you’re the only one who showed up to support me when I needed someone the most.” She told him. She saw his eyes soften a bit, but he shook his head in frustration. “And I—I know that w—when I came back to school, you had faith in me when I didn’t have faith in myself.”

“Because I felt sorry for ya!” Katashi all but yelled. Poppy looked at him in disbelief. 

“You—felt sorry for me?” She pushed out, trying hard to understand this anger and frustration he was dealing with; trying so hard not to take it personally.

“Who wouldn’t? Ya walk around like a wounded little Bambi-whose-mom-just-fucking-got-shot. It’s pathetic.” He snapped. She winced at that statement, nodding, her hands shaking as she held the phone. She closed her eyes hard and then opened them again and said,

“I—I know it’s pathetic. I’m trying. I’m trying really hard.” She pressed back, trying to stand up for herself and failing miserably. He started laughing, flopping back against the seat, a wry, spiteful laughter at Poppy’s expense.

“That’s all ya do is try. That’s what makes ya so pathetic.” He laughed. “Ya try and ya try and ya try, but you’re just a hamster on a fucking wheel, Poppy. Ya look cute, but ya actions get ya nowhere.”

Poppy glanced down at her lap, that dark chuckling continuing.

“Do me a favor.” He laughed. “Don’t come back. Don’t visit. Stop trying. Ya wasting my time, and that’s sad to say ‘cos all I’ve got is time now.” He told her, slamming the phone down on the receiver. Poppy looked up at him and met his eyes, completely devastated and defeated by him. 

He smirked at her, and she sat, completely numb. Finally, she found her legs moving, standing up from their seated position, gently pushing the chair in, and quietly, without much else, she walked away from him.

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
——————-  
Dear Poppy,

When I think about all the roads in my life that I’ve taken, I consider each and every one of them to be bumpy or full of potholes, most of them of my own creation. I think about all the intersections and moments in my life that have made me who I am: the death of my parents, meeting my “new dad” for the first time, seeing my brother for the first time, joining the organization I’m in.

Out of all the roads I have taken and all the events that have made me who I am, the road I’m most thankful for is the road that led me to you.

I don’t really know you that well, but I want to. I know that I do a lot of dumb things that hold me back from really knowing you. I say even worse things that hurt you or make you wonder if I even really care, and the truth is, I do more than you know, but I’m just not sure how to have you in my life without hurting you, so I push you away.

One of the things I learned from a young age is the more we want something, the harder it is to lose. Sometimes, it feels like that loss just tears you in two. You feel like you’re never going to be able to come back up for air again, or maybe you don’t even remember how to because you’ve been drowning for so long, so you just keep diving under until something—or someone—happens to throw you a lifeline.

For you, you might feel that way about your dad. I know you probably wonder if you’ll ever stop feeling that ache or that loneliness, or if that void will ever go away, and what I’ve learned is it won’t, but you learn to fill that void with things and people that matter to you. For me, that’s you. You are the person who has filled that void in my life.

So, when you look back on these days, I hope you remember the boy who wanted to be there for you, but didn’t know how. I hope you tell yourself that he wanted to fill that void for you, but he couldn’t. I hope you imagine me as the boy from the car ride home, who wanted to give you the whole world, but didn’t have two pennies to his name. But most of all, I hope you remember the boy who cared about you more than he cared about himself, which is why he had to let you go.

Please be happy. Find someone who loves you. Don’t settle for less because you deserve everything.

Love,

Katashi  
———————

Poppy wiped her eyes, looking up from the letter at Tora, who studied her calmly.

“It was you.” She whispered, closing the cover of the book. He met her eyes, nodding ever so slightly. She let out a sob and threw herself at him, crying,

“Where have you been?”

He looked down, holding her tightly against his body, his mind deep in thought.

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********  
Katashi plopped down on the bed in his jail cell, alone, for once, since his roommate was on his rec time. He laid back, putting the pillow to his face, the devastated and absolutely hurt look in her face as she left burned into his mind. He wanted so badly to fall apart right then and there, but if anyone heard him crying in his cell, any chance he had at credibility on the inside was over, so he chose to be angry instead.

Why did she have to come? He never wanted her to see him like this. She was too good to be a part of this life. Besides, he was pretty sure he was never getting out of jail for his part in what Balthuman had done, regardless of the fact that he didn’t even want to be a part of a murder for hire plan to begin with and had actively voiced his opinion against it.

Despite being a strong boy, he didn’t like using that strength to hurt people, but it was what he’d been trained to do and he was good at it, so it became is job. He was intimidating by nature, and Vincent took advantage of that.

He remembered that day vividly: he was in a team of three guys dispensed to take care of an organization problem. They burst through the doors to the office that the guy worked for, and Katashi help the man down and roughed him up a bit. That’s all that was supposed to happen, then one of the other guys took out a gun and started threatening the dude, saying they were watching him, and if he didn’t start behaving they would murder him, and maybe they already had a hit on him.

It wasn’t until Katashi was leaving that he realized that office was probably rigged. That guy knew they were coming. Vincent had warned him to have his shit together before they came, and now, he was paying the price for it. 

But Vincent did this for a living. He knew what would happen if he warned him ahead of time. He knew Katashi would end up in jail, which meant that was what he wanted. In fact, when Katashi called to tell him what happened, all Vincent had said was,

“A word of advice, boy: Make friends on the inside, and gain partnerships. Toughen up. Get mad, and use that anger to gain respect. You’ll need it, and so will we.”

Vincent knee how to work the system. Narin City has a crooked justice system that could be easily bent to do his will. So Katashi was well aware that when Vincent wanted him out, he would be out. Until then, he had to survive like Vincent had told him to.

He sighed, reaching under his pillow and pulling out a book of poems—the one Poppy had been reading the day she found out her father was dying. He had checked it out from the library there at the prison. He stuck his finger inside the book and opened it to a random page:

—————-

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

Let us go then, you and I,  
When the evening is spread out against the sky  
Like a patient etherized upon a table;  
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,  
The muttering retreats  
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels  
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:  
Streets that follow like a tedious argument  
Of insidious intent  
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...  
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”  
Let us go and make our visit.  
——————

Katashi’s mind wandered back to Poppy; to they drive home in the deserted road, laughing with her; Poppy eating that god awful junk food, while he ate some, likely expired, sushi. That awkward music that neither of them bothered to turn off until it got too intense for both their liking.

His eyes drifted back to the poem:

—————-  
And indeed there will be time  
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,  
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;  
There will be time, there will be time  
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;  
There will be time to murder and create,  
And time for all the works and days of hands  
That lift and drop a question on your plate;  
Time for you and time for me,  
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,  
And for a hundred visions and revisions,  
Before the taking of a toast and tea.  
———————-

Katashi wondered if there ever really would be a time for him to live beyond the organization, but he knew, at least, there was no talk of indecision for him. His mind was made up when it came to Poppy. She didn’t belong in his world, and he certainly didn’t belong in hers. He was this filthy stain on her otherwise pure life, and he didn’t want to be that to her anymore. He refused to drag her out of the light and into the shadows any longer.

Besides, the minute that he got that Balthuman crest on his neck, he had chosen his world. But.

But.

There were a hundred times he wished he could choose again. Things he wished he would’ve known. Decisions he wish he had known to make. Moments where his path crossed someone he desperately wanted to hold onto because she was good and beautiful and smart and everything he wasn’t, but because of his choice, he just couldn’t.

It was too late now.

——————  
And would it have been worth it, after all,  
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,  
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,  
Would it have been worth while,  
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,  
To have squeezed the universe into a ball  
To roll it towards some overwhelming question,  
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,  
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—  
If one, settling a pillow by her head  
Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;  
That is not it, at all.”  
————————-

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Tora pulled away from a Poppy first, his hands grazing her face as he looked into her eyes. Was he wrong to let her back in his life? 

But really what he kept thinking was, 

“Do I really have a choice?”

No matter what he did, she found her way back into his life. So maybe it was time to stop fighting the inevitable. Maybe instead of running away from a fate he had been trying to avoid since he was seventeen, he could try facing it head on, so rather than asking himself,

“Do I have a choice?”

What he knew he really should be asking himself was,

“Do I want this?”

“Can we talk more about what happened in the past later?” He quietly inquired, and despite the fact that Poppy was dying to know, she nodded. He collected her things, putting them back in the bag. Then, he said,

“I need a minute.”

And headed outside onto the balcony. Tora lit up a cigarette, his mind and heart not quite prepared for tonight. He was so convinced he had let her go that seeing her again when he did and now reliving everything with her—it was a lot for him. 

He exhaled, the smoke curling around him as he considered shutting her out again for just a short moment before he realized he wasn’t sure he could do that at this point. She was a part of his world now, and he was going to have to accept that. 

She knew now that he was involved in unsavory business and now, so was she. But it didn’t have to be all bad. He flicked the dying embers from his cigarette, placing it back in his mouth.

Not all bad indeed. Because now, she wasn’t this pure little teenager he used to know who had no experience with the world. Now, when she spoke to him, he could hear the undertones of lust in her voice. Now, when she kissed him, he could touch her, feel her without this fear of tarnishing her. Now, when she sat in his lap to kiss him, he knew she wanted more.

So, really, maybe what that meant was there was a little darkness in her too, and he wanted to taste that darkness and breathe her in. For once, he didn’t want to be with someone because he wanted to watch her lose her mind beneath him when he said dirty things in her ear or moved his fingers a certain way against her body. 

He wanted to be with her regardless of what she would give him.

But.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to know what she felt like when he had her; to listen to the sounds she made when he moved the right way or said the right thing or even when he kissed her; to walk on the edge with her and make her unravel beneath him, spent because of him, and only because of him.

Poppy glanced out the window nervously, watching him blow tendrils of smoke ip into the air and she wished she could get inside his mind. She watched him pace, deep in thought, and she wondered if he was regretting things between them or if he was regretting showing her the bag to begin with.

After what seemed like forever, he moved back inside like a shadow, silently coasting back into the bedroom, seemingly materializing behind her. She turned to face him, seeing his reflection in the glass, and she said,

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You don’t have to say anything. I’m just glad you—“

“You haven’t changed at all, have ya?” He chastised her lightly, moving toward her as she backed into the window, startling when she hit it. “Still allowing people to walk all over ya?”

“No, that’s not it at all. I—“ she stammered, looking down.

“Then look me in my eyes and tell me what you want from me.” He cut her off, putting his hands on either side of her on the glass, deep ember eyes boring into her own, and so, she did.

“Fine.” She growled impatiently, annoyed by his mood swings and presumptions. “I want to know what happened to you and why. I want to know what you really do. I want you to stop pushing me away when things get too hard or too scary because you think I can’t handle it. But most of all, I want you. All of you—the good. The bad. The ugly. The beautiful. Anything you’re willing to give me.”

When he had pressed her for an answer, this was not what he was expecting. The corner of his mouth curved into a smirk, and he leaned forward, whispering in her ear,

“Are ya sure that’s what you want?”

She closed her eyes, trying to pull herself together, feeling like she might collapse,

“Absolutely.”

“You asked for it.” He growled, heaving her up to his waist, back against the glass of the apartment window, and crushing his lips against hers mercilessly.


	12. The First Reckoning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prison yard Katashi. My FAVORITE character ever comes back into this universe, and
> 
> *****NSFW SEX SCENE AHEAD******
> 
> It was bound to happen sometime around these two sexually frustrated people.
> 
> Enjoy!

12  
*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
The prison door buzzed and Katashi stepped out in front of his cell followed by his roommate. He hadn’t really bothered to get to know him. He was quiet African American dude with a buzz cut like Katashi’s, who wore glasses, and mostly kept to himself. He was pretty bookish and spent most of his time in silence reading a book or writing in his journal. He didn’t seem like the type of dude that one might find in a prison cell. All he knew about him was that his name was Alfred.

Katashi eyed Alfred next to him, who simply stared ahead impassively as the guards passed count. Then, Alfred went back into the cell and Katashi went his own way toward the prison yard.

If you’ve ever seen a movie with a prison yard in it, then you already know what it looks like and this one was no different: there was a red clay track around the entirety of the yard. In the middle of the yard, a basketball court sat, where games of pickup were usually played between the offenders. Off to the right side was an outdoor free weights area complete with a few bench presses, parallel bars, various dumbbells, and a few weight machines that were accessible. Off to the left side of the yard was a pavilion type area with picnic benches, where some relaxed, choosing to take in the heat of Narin City in the unusual heatwave of early spring.

Katashi chose to sit silently under the pavilion, studying the different communities in the prison yard. Everyday, he did this until he could determine who he wanted to approach because once approached, there was no going back. You didn’t mix and mingle with different gangs unless it was under the table and even then, you did so at your own risk.

He watched as a tall, brutish guy who was around his age stalked toward the bench press. His hair was cut into a fade, the front of the fade coming to a point in the center of his forehead. He had bright blue eyes that constantly looked crazy underneath bushy brown eyebrows, and on his face, he had a close cut beard that ran all the way up to his sideburns and was complete with a goatee. He was a brawny guy who liked to throw his weight around to intimidate people. If Katashi didn’t know any better, he would have sworn the guy was Kano from Mortal Kombat, except he had a Cockney accent.

Katashi watched the guy approach someone on the bench press seemingly to force him off. When the guy stood up, he went toe to toe with the Cockney speaker. He watched as Kano seemingly leaned forward, saying something to the other guy, then laughing hysterically with those crazy eyes wide open. Needless to say, the other guy backed off.

“See something you like?” He heard someone say from off to the side of him. Katashi turned to see a Hispanic man lounging on one of the benches next to him. His face was completely tatted up, and he wore the top of his jumpsuit tied around his waist, a white tank top otherwise sitting in place. He was bald and barefaced except for a thick pair of eyebrows over beady black eyes.

“And if I do?” Katashi pressed. The man smiled, nodding to him,

“I know that crest. You’re Balthuman.”

“You got me. Are you affiliated?” Katashi inquired. The man shook his head.

“Used to be a member of Los Zetas.” He said. Katashi had heard of them. He knew they were a dangerous gang in Mexico, but wasn’t really sure what one of them was doing in a prison halfway across the world.

“Used to?” Katashi pressed.

“Past tense. Not no more. That’s all I need to tell you.” The man growled. Katashi got the hint.

“What’s your name, boy?” The man asked.

“Katashi.” He answered. “You?”

“I’m called Leòn.” He answered. “That’s Ramsey you’ve been looking at.”

“Do you know him?” Katashi pressed.

“Everyone says he’s fucking crazy. Said he murdered half the members of his gang before getting caught. He was only found guilty of assault and battery—beat this dude within an inch of his life.“ Leòn told him.

Katashi nodded, looking back over at Ramsey, who continued to bench press most of his weight, the others in the yard leaving him alone. Clearly, he had a reputation that granted him freedom from normal rivalries, and Katashi wanted that freedom for himself. Better still, he wasn’t affiliated with anyone.

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Poppy was nervous. Her lips moved against his was a fervent heat as his hands yanked her shirt out of those cute little orange shorts and pulled it up over her head.

She blushed furiously against his advances, loving them, drinking them in as he traced the line of her bra strap, hands guiding those straps down her shoulders.

Part of her wanted to scream,

“Stop! I’ve never done this before!”

But everything that he was doing to her just felt so damned good that she didn’t want him to stop, so she played along. He moved her from the window to the bed, lying her down, and ripping her shorts down so she had little more on than skimpy panties and underwear. She squeaked a little when he pulled her shorts down, and he paused for just a moment, looking down at her as she clutched her hands over her chest in embarrassment.

He pulled his sweats down, stepping out of them, boxer briefs tight against his body, and the product of Poppy’s teasing restrained against the soft fabric. He crawled onto the bed, lowering his weight onto her, his tongue tracing up her neck. Poppy shivered when he but her ear and whispered,

“What’s wrong, Poppy? I thought ya said ya wanted all of me.”

“I do.” She said back. “But—I need you to help me. I’ve—never done this before.”

Tora pulled back, looking at her in astonishment. She bit her lip, wishing she hasn’t said anything at all.

“You’re a virgin?” His voice was somewhat put off and incredulous all at the same time, and when she nodded, he felt like such an ass for the way that he had just treated her, stripping her against the window, throwing her on the bed, talking to her provocatively like that.

“I—I’m sorry I didn’t say so before. It’s not like it came up in conversation where I could just tell you.” She shrugged, still covering herself.

“Maybe we shouldn’t—“ he started to say, but she grabbed his hips, pulling at him and, in a panic, saying,

“No. I want this. I want this with you.”

“Then we’re going to do this the right way.” He told her, and she nodded.

“First of all, stop covering ya body up. You’re beautiful. You know I want ya. I know ya saw how much I do, so why hide? Let me see you.” He gently laced his fingers in hers, moving her hands away from her body and above her head. 

He leaned down, letting one hand go and unhooking her bra from behind her. 

He moved his hands over her shoulders, goosebumps raising on her skin, and she felt that radiating heat pooling in her stomach. The bra straps went down with his hands, leaving her exposed as he tossed her bra to the side. 

“Grab onto this pillow and don’t let go.” He told her, guiding her hands to the top of the pillow. Poppy nodded, but the minute her bra fell away, she felt her hands instinctively moving toward her breasts to cover them up, put he stopped her hands with his own, guiding them back to the pillow. He looked into her eyes and told her,

“Your body is beautiful. Stop trying to cover it up.”

She swallowed hard and nodded as his mouth went to work over her nipples, flicking over them, gently taking cooling breaths, and something happened in her body. She felt herself tightening up, this frustration that she couldn’t quite explain coiling itself through her body like an unsatisfied spring. Gently, he nipped at her, and she gasped aloud, feeling his lips curved into a smile as her body jerked, appreciating what he was doing to her body.

He moved down her body kissing her stomach down to her panties. She looked down at him, heated eyes watching his movements that were so deliberate and so focused. He moved his hands to the sides of her panties, hooking his fingers over them, and then, he looked up, two burning pools of gold meeting her eyes and she nearly exploded at that sight as he pulled her panties off, throwing them to the side.

He made his way back up to her, his lips capturing her own, and she felt him slip two fingers inside of her. She moaned against his lips, his third finger moving in delicious circles around her clit, and she threw her head back, clutching the pillow. He watched her with a primal fascination, pink cheeks and puffy pink mouth open in appreciation and hunger because of him. He pulled those two fingers out and slid them back inside of her again, a gentle motion that made Poppy feel like she needed a deeper release.

“Oh—my god.” She breathed, holding onto the pillow for dear life.

“Do ya want me to stop?” He asked her, his lips moving against her skin as he continued with the onslaught of his fingers against her body.

“No. No!” She gasped, and when he pulled his fingers out, she protested loudly. He smiled at her, saying,

“I want to feel you.”

And at that, he pulled his boxers down, exposing himself for the first time. Poppy wanted to look away from him, but in the pale light of the evening, he just looked so fucking beautiful, so she stared unabashedly as he reached into the nightstand for a condom, rolling it on gently.

He crawled up toward her, positioning himself over her. He looked down at her, those long tresses of dark hair spilling over her chest, and he whispered,

“Last chance to turn back.”

She swallowed hard, her throat feeling thick, and she shook her head.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
Katashi headed toward the free weight section, which was mostly isolated except for Ramsey, who was lounging back against the bench press. A few of the inmates around the yard watched him to see what he was doing, curious about the newbie who seemed to be too stupid to take a hint.

Katashi sat in the bench press next to Ramsey after situating the weights, and lifted the bar up, beginning his sets. Ramsey glanced over at him curiously, pushing himself out of his inclined bench press and standing over Katashi, who was lying back.

“You must be new around here.” That thick Cockney accent purred. Katashi ignored him, continuing his reps, beads of sweat falling down the sides of his head, soaking his tank top under his jumpsuit. Ramsey put his foot up on the bench, leaning forward over his knee and grinning at Katashi.

“You sure do have lovely eyes.” Ramsey grinned at him. “Be a shame if someone plucked them out with a shard of glass during shower time.”

“Yeah. But then I’d just come for your eyes. They’d look better in my head.” Katashi told him, re-racking the bar and looking up at Ramsey, whose mouth twitched at that response. 

“Better move along now, lad. This is my area.” Ramsey warned, both feet on the ground now, arms crossed.

“Nah. I like it here.” Katashi responded. Ramsey nodded, heading back over to his bench press, picking up the bar, standing over Katashi, and dropping the bar on his chest. Katashi barely caught the bar before it crushed his chest, his elbows down low at his sides, making the bar a lot harder to lift.

“I told you to leave.” Ramsey leaned down over his chest, Katashi straining to push the bar up against Ramsey’s weight.

Katashi bucked his hips up, causing Ramsey to teeter before he aimed a hard kick to his groin, using all of his strength and pushing the barbell up and off of his body. Inside, he was panicking at the fact that he nearly suffocated, but he knew he had a lot of eyes on him at this point, and he needed to be calm. He sat up, staring Ramsey down, who stood up furiously, dusting off his jumpsuit.

Katashi was waiting for the onslaught of threats or even punches aimed in his direction. Instead, Ramsey grinned and said,

“Nice kick to the balls.”

Katashi was uncertain if he was still about to be attacked, but he opted to lay back and continue with his workout. Ramsey picked up the barbell that Katashi had thrown on the floor, took a seat in the incline bench press next to him, and began his series of bench presses.

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Tora was nervous.

Even though on the exterior, he exuded self-confidence, and even though he was more than experienced in this field, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her or hurt her. He didn’t want to mess things up for her, especially on her first time, so he felt like he had a lot to live up to.

She was shivering in excitement and nervousness, and he didn’t want to waste any more time. He pushed himself into her slowly, waiting for a moment.

“You okay?” He asked, and he felt her nod. For a moment, she was tense, but as he began to move, he felt her relax beneath him, her hands resting on his arms as he picked up the pace.

Poppy had never felt like this before. She had never wanted to feel like this before with anyone, and here she was in the most vulnerable position she could possibly be in and she couldn’t think of anyone else she would rather give herself to.

The way she figured—even if he walked away from her after this and she never saw him again, she didn’t think she would regret a single thing.

“I want to show you something.” He told her, and one hand gently moved down to her hips. “Move with me.”

He guided her hips, showing her how to move and Poppy felt a heightened sensation as that frustrated little coil tightened in her core.

“Like that.” He breathed, and he let her hips go, leaning down to her, and kissing her, groaning against her lips as the two of them moved in unison. For a moment, she felt a bit self-conscious. She was certain he had never had to teach other girls how to do things in their sexual exploits, and she was sure they probably knew all kinds of ways she didn’t to make him feel good. What if what she was doing wasn’t enough? 

He leaned down, seeing that look on her face, knowing something was on her mind and he kissed her, wanting her to feel how he did, needing her to know this was special to him too, and all that lack of ease melted from her mind.

She made a low groaning sound in her throat, and fuck if it didn’t turn him on more. He picked up the pace, her body matching it thrust for thrust, and he heard her breathing becoming more erratic.

“That’s right.” He breathed, unable to hold back a moan himself.

He felt her body twitching in response to his movements, and he knew he had her. He moved his hand down between her legs, circling his fingers along that now overly sensitive spot and Poppy jerked with a loud moan, the coil of frustration releasing inside of her, and her whole body quivered in release, tingling sensations leading themselves through her body, into her legs, and her fingertips as she locked her legs tightly around his body.

Seeing her bloom beneath him, knowing it was his doing was enough to send him over the edge, climaxing with a soft groan, his body moving with hers once, twice, three times, and then stopping its motion.

The two of them lay motionless, stopped where they were, Tora feeling somewhat self-conscious at how short the session seemed to be for him. What was it about her that made him do that? He replayed that moment in his mind, watching her close her eyes, arch her back, her mouth open in response yelling out his name mid-orgasm, and she dug her fingers into the bedsheets. Yeah, that was it. 

He moved off of her, lying next to her. He pulled the sheets up around his waist, lying on his side, waiting for her to say something. He wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say, but he felt like he needed to know that this was a good first time. That he had performed well. He felt like a child in search of reassurance.

She glanced over at him, pulling the sheets to her chest, the post-coital afterglow adding something to her face that just made her that much more beautiful to him. Thinking back to the way they started this, and looking at her now, he wondered if he would ever be able to ravage her body like he had planned to before because she was such a fucking angel. Replaying her climax in his head, he was pretty sure, if she’d let him, there were a hell of a lot of things he wanted to do to her body that were both gentle and rough in nature.

His dark locks were plastered to his body, and Poppy wondered why she felt like she could go at him all over again after they had just finished. Wasn’t there supposed to be a rest period or do people’s bodies just let them keep going?

She knew he was waiting for her to say something, and she felt this tremendous pressure to say the right thing. She knew In movies sometimes people smoked cigarettes when sex was really good, but she hated cigarettes. She considered the stereotypical,

“Was it as good for you as it was for me?”

But even just thinking that made her cringe inwardly. She opted to just stop thinking about it so hard and go with the first thing that came to her mind when she thought about their tryst. She smiled at him, snuggling a little closer, and said,

“Can we do that again sometime?”


	13. Enemies

13  
*********  
Present Day  
*********  
It was the sound of a gentle tip tapping that woke Poppy from the depths of her post-coital sleep. Her eyes snapped open, body and mind hyper aware from being in a new place. She lay perfectly still, her eyes fluttering open listening.

Silence.

Nothing.

“Must’ve been the building settling.” She told herself, but something inside of her was screaming that something was wrong.

Poppy sat up, pulling the blankets up over her naked body, glancing first to see if Tora was still in bed and he was. She ran her fingers over his cheek fondly, black tresses over his face and hanging down his back as he slept on his stomach, blankets around his waist, strong back muscles relaxed as he rested with his hands beneath the pillow.

A flicker of movement behind Tora caught her eye and her head snapped to look in the dark, open closet. Her heartbeat picked up, a tense panic slowly rising in her chest. Slowly, she pulled the blankets away from herself, backing out of the bed, eyes locked on the closet. Her toes silently touched the chilled wooden floors, one foot and then the other until she was fully standing.

Behind her, she felt an arm snake around her waist, snatching her body, hand covering her mouth. At first, Poppy attempted to scream until the shadow she had seen reappeared from the closet behind Tora, putting a finger to his lips and pointing a gun to Tora’s head.

Poppy’s breathing picked up, and she shook her head. Again, the shadow put his fingers to his lips and Poppy nodded in understanding, and the hand fell away from her mouth. Behind her, she felt a pistol pressed against her head, a robe draped over her body as she put her arms inside of the robe, tying it.

Her eyes flicked over toward Tora again, the shadow with the gun still standing near him as he slept. She didn’t trust that the shadow wouldn’t shoot him when she left the room. She had to think of a way to warn him, and she needed to think of it fast.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
Katashi stood at the end of the lunch line, tray in hand, trying to figure out exactly where he was going to sit. As far as he knew, he didn’t belong anywhere or with anyone. He sighed, eyes scanning the room, seeing half of a table open, and who else but Ramsey sitting alone at the table.

He made a split second decision and headed over toward that table, coming around the back of Ramsey and hearing him say,

“Do ya really have nowhere else to go?”

Katashi sat down across the table from him, garnering more than a few stares around the cafeteria.

“‘Fraid not.” Katashi told him, looking down at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on his plate and wrinkling his nose at it.

“‘S the matter, princess? Don’t like your lunch?” Ramsey pressed.

“Oh, fuck off.” Katashi growled, almost regretting saying it the minute it came out of his mouth. It was so natural for him to banter with his friends that way that he hadn’t even thought twice before saying it. Now, all he could do was take a giant bite of his sweet sandwich and hope he didn’t take a meal tray to the face.

Ramsey laughed heartily at his response, the room quieting a little bit at his boisterous laughter, inmates nervously looking over in his direction. Katashi slowed his chewing, smirking at Ramsey, who wiped a tear from his eye and grinned,

“You’re a right mad lad.”

Katashi didn’t say anything, choosing to keep his stoic expression as he chewed on the stale sandwich, swallowing what was left of it. The rest of the cafeteria resumed their normal conversations, the intensity of a psychotic laugh evaporating as quickly as it started.

“Say, what are you here for?” Ramsey inquired, picking up his milk carton and noisily sipping the white milk out of a tiny yellow straw. Katashi found this strange; like they were two old women gossiping.

“Conspiracy to commit murder.” Katashi said, dropping the sandwich with a glorious thump on his tray. “You?”

“Beat the shit out of someone.” Ramsey grinned, winking at Katashi. “And this has been my lovely abode ever since. It’s quite charming, really.”

“That’s one word for it.” Katashi grumbled. Ramsey grinned again, nodding his head and stuffing a cosmic brownie in his mouth, munching on it like an animal.

“I guess I’ve never really properly introduced myself.” Ramsey licked his fingers, wiping his hands on his pants before extending his hand. “Ramsey.”

Katashi glanced at his hand for a moment before taking it, saying,

“Katashi.”

“The fuck kind of name is that?” Ramsey cocked his head to the side.

“The fuck kind of name is Ramsey? Were ya named after that angry fuck of a chef?” Katashi pressed back, and Ramsey threw his head back in laughter, wagging his pointer finger at Katashi humorously.

“I’m Japanese.” Katashi smirked, taking a sip of his milk, before setting it back down.

“Oh! Then, you know those guys?” Ramsey nodded toward a group of Triads, sitting all together at a table, who glanced back at him in vague disinterest.

“Those guys are Triads.” Katashi glared at Ramsey, who nodded with an idiotic grin. “They’re Chinese.”

Ramsey stared at him blankly, shrugging and shaking his head.

“You’re thinking about those guys.” Katashi nodded toward a group of Yakuza sitting at a different table, silently finishing their lunch. “They’re Yakuza, and just because I’m Japanese doesn’t mean I know all the other Asians in this unit.”

“Then what the fuck is that shit on your neck, bruv?” Ramsey was getting frustrated, all of this seemingly going over his head.

“It’s the Balthuman crest.” Katashi answered. Ramsey shrugged again, seemingly having no clue what the hell he was talking about. “Are you affiliated?”

“Speak English.” Ramsey growled, noisily sipping his milk again.

“Are you part of an organization?” Katashi inquired.

“Used to be.” Ramsey plopped the milk on the tray. “We were a bit of a motley crew. Mostly did our own thing until those bastards decided to trade me in for immunity.”

Katashi nodded. He knew the feeling except he was traded in to make connections on the inside rather than to save someone else’s ass.

“So, on the topic of motley crews, wanna gang bang in the showers later?” Ramsey’s mouth spread into a wide Cheshire-like grin and wriggled his eyebrows at Katashi, who looked back at him with a completely straight face. Katashi shook his head.

“No.” He flatly told him. “No, I really don’t.”

Ramsey shrugged,

“Suit yourself.”

And went back to slurping the last bit of his schoolboy milk.

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Poppy’s breath was shaking, her eyes trained on Tora as she walked around the side of the bed. She had a plan in mind, but she worried it was going to get her shot. Either way, she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he died because she was too much of a coward to take a chance.

As they rounded the corner of the bed slowly, Poppy closed her eyes, preparing to sacrifice her toes as she intentionally tripped over the side of the bed, stumbling into the dresser.

She whirled around finding a gun pressed between her eyes, a pair of Asian eyes glaring at her beneath a balaclava.

“I—I’m sorry.” She mouthed. Her eyes flicked over to Tora in panic, seeing him still fast asleep. Her shadow yanked her up by her arm, and she felt a harsh pop in her shoulder, a searing pain running through her arm as she stood up, her shadow grabbing her by her hair, pushing her toward the living room.

Just as they crossed the middle of the living room, Poppy heard the brief pew of a silenced pistol being shot in the bedroom. She whirled over her shoulder and cried out,

“No!”

Only to receive a harsh pistol whip to the face, her shadow kicking her knees out from behind her, sending her sprawling to the ground, her chin hitting the floor with enough force to cause her teeth to chatter and her head to bounce off of the ground. She crawled on all fours, scrambling away from her shadow, who grabbed her, tearing her robe open, and forcing her down to the floor.

“No! Stop it!” She yelled out, struggling hard against the shadow’s weight, and receiving a hard jab to the face. He pinned her down with his knees, reaching up to unbutton his pants when suddenly Poppy heard a second distinct pew from a silenced pistol, a clean hole appearing through his forehead, blood splattering on Poppy’s face as the shadow collapsed on top of her.

In shock, Poppy let out a whimper, trying to push him off, panic rising in her body as she struggled, the body suddenly lifted off of her, and Poppy cradled in a pair of strong arms as she pushed away from those arms, shrieking,

“Get off! Get off me!”

“Poppy.” She heard Tora’s voice soothingly day. “It’s me.”

Her head snapped up, seeing that beautiful face she thought she lost for the second time in less than 48 hours looking down at her, wide with concern.

“It’s me.” He whispered, reassuringly. Poppy attempted to throw her arms around him, but only one arm made it up, the other in excruciating pain. 

He pulled her off gently, heading to the kitchen to grab a wet towel, wiping the blood off of her face and out of her hair. She winced against the the tenderness from the two hits to her face, her eye beginning to swell.

“That fucker hit you?” He growled. Poppy gingerly touched her face, feeling the puffiness before looking up at him. Gently, he took hold of her robe and whispered,

“Can I check?”

She nodded, reluctantly pulling her arms away from her chest. Slowly he pushed the robe over her shoulders, examining her body.

“Aw, sweetheart.” She heard him say sympathetically as he looked at her shoulder. With the lightest touch, he examined the shoulder she had been yanked up by, finding it dislocated.

Before attending to that, he moved down her body, pausing for a moment to look her in the eyes and ask,

“Did he—do anything to ya?”

Poppy shivered at the recollection, and she shook her head in a jerky fashion.

“You would tell me? Honestly?” He inquired.

“Yes.” She whispered honestly.

“I need to put your shoulder back into place.” He told her, and her eyes widened at that statement. “It’s okay, Poppy.”

Poppy felt a lump of fear welling up in her throat, anxiety over the impending adjustment making her feel like she wanted to vomit. 

“I’ll do it fast.” He promised her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, nodding.

“One. Two.” And before he could make it to three, he jerked her arm into place. Poppy put her robe into her mouth, screaming into it, tears falling down her cheek as she did.

Tora took her in his arms, whispering,

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

He rocked with her for a moment, burying his face in her hair and kissing her, gradually becoming more and more pissed off at the Yamamoto organization who had done this to her with each tear and silent sob that she let out because of them. He waited until the tears stopped before saying,

“Let’s get you some ice, and I’m going to make ya a splint. Go ahead and get dressed.”

She nodded, heading back into the bedroom and picking her clothes up off of the floor.

“How the FUCK did they find this apartment?” Poppy heard Tora rage into, what she presumed, was his cell phone, pausing for an answer.

“You were supposed to be the one in charge of security. How the fuck did they get past our team?” He growled, listening again.

“I’ll tell ya now. If she had died, her blood would have been on your hands, and there would have been nothing on this fucking earth that would have saved you from me. 

“I swear I will rip you apart with my bare fucking hands if they ever get that close to her again because of your fucking mistake.” He seethed into the phone. Poppy put her clothes on, imagining that whoever was on the other line was scared shitless.

“Fix this and call the house cleaning crew to come clean this shit up.” He growled. And she heard him slam the phone onto the table, tearing the freezer door open. Poppy tiptoed into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Tora’s waist, feeling that hard, angry tension in his bare torso, sweats slung low on his waist. Tora sighed, looking down, putting his hands on hers.

“You heard that, didn’t ya?” He asked, the tension starting to melt from his body. Poppy nodded against his back.

“I don’t know how I didn’t hear them.” The sound of guilt in his voice made Poppy’s heart break just a little.

“It’s not your fault.” She told him. He turned around, picking her chin up, and saying,

“Anytime someone touches ya in a way you don’t want is a personal failure for me. That’s my job.”

She understood where he was coming from, but she didn’t think it was fair for him to take it so hard.

“Let’s get you healed.” He said. He picked Poppy up, putting her on the kitchen island, placing a kitchen towel over her shoulder before putting the ice pack on it.

“I’m gonna go get some bandages.” He told her, turning to leave. She grabbed his wrist as he was leaving, and he stopped. She pulled him over to her, situating him between her legs, his hands on either side of her on the counter, and she said,

“You saved my life tonight, you know?”

She took his face in her hands and pressed a kiss to his lips, and he was putty beneath her hands, lifting his hands off of the counter, pulling her against his body.

Her hands explored his chest and the ripples of his abs, making their way to the waistband of his pants. She felt him smile against her lips,

“What are ya doing down there, sweetheart?”

She grinned back, pulling away a little to look in his eyes, and said,

“I want to say thank you...but I want you to teach me how.”

He arched an eyebrow at her and said,

“I think I can do that.”

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
There was nothing worse to Katashi than being exposed in front of a group of sexually deprived men—especially if those men swung both ways and even more so, if you were above average in size.

So when shower time came about, Katashi knew to keep himself away from prying eyes, trying to shower as quickly as possible without too many seeing, but he failed in that regard. There was no way he wouldn’t be seen.

“Well, well.” He heard one of the inmates say. Like many other inmates, he had little else to do with his time besides work out, so he was a brawny man—older than Katashi by a few years. “Looks like our new boy is packing.”

A few of the other inmates turned to see what the older man was talking about. He stroked his red beard in approval, his tongue darting out between his lips as he studied Katashi unabashedly, the swastika on his pec a clear indicator of where his loyalties were. 

A few other Neos surrounded Katashi, who considered how he should handle the situation. A few of them lunged toward Katashi, who moved deftly out of the way, one of the Neos sliding across the shower floor.

“Oh, and he’s spry too. I like ‘em a little more limber.” The red bearded man grinned. Katashi felt another of the Neos grab his arms from behind, and Katashi flipped him over his shoulder.

“You know what I like?” A thick Cockney accent asked. Everyone turned to see Ramsey leaning against the wall, pretty much half chub at this point from watching the show. The Neos looked at each other uncertainly, and Ramsey pushed off of the wall, sauntering toward them. “I like Nazi bastards with lovely little red beards and gorgeous green eyes. ‘S like my own personal little leprechaun of a man.”

The Neo backed away from Ramsey, who growled in pleasure, the Neo seemingly disgusted by his advances.

“What do you say, bruv? Wanna have a go?” Ramsey rubbed himself in front of the red bearded Neo. “I’ll treat you real nice like.”

The Neos backed off as Ramsey made his way over to Katashi, draping his arm over his neck.

“No?” Ramsey feigned disappointment. “‘S too bad.”

Katashi looked over at Ramsey, and flatly mumbled,

“Get the fuck off me.”

“Aw, sweetheart.” He pinched Katashi’s cheek. “Not you too. Just when we were warming up to each other.”


	14. Blending Fact and Fiction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first, I want to warn you guys now. I’m two weeks out from having a baby. I will continue to update everyday until then like normal, but who knows what life brings?
> 
> Anyhow, enjoy!

14  
*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Tora wasn’t sure when he dozed off. He hadn’t meant to. After a frightening night, he had intended to stay awake and keep watch, but between his absolute exhaustion and Poppy’s insistence on showing him how thankful she was for saving his life, which he thoroughly enjoyed, he must’ve just crashed pretty hard.

When he woke up, the smell of coffee was the first thing that caught his attention. He sat up, feeling like he just got hit by a bus, not even remembering when he put his sweats back on, and he rubbed his eyes. He reached over to the nightstand, checking his phone and seeing a few messages from Gyu, checking in about security and asking a few questions.

He pulled the blankets back, heading toward the kitchen, rounding the corner and pausing for a second, leaning against the doorframe. Poppy was sitting on the floor next to the window, her hair down in those pretty waves she always wore it in, the sunlight casting a golden glow behind her like a halo, a pretty yellow sundress hugging her waist and flaring out. She studied a manuscript, pen between her lips as she read, and he watched her lips curved into a smile at something she read. She reached for her coffee, fumbling to find it for a moment and took a sip. 

Suddenly, it was as if she felt him staring at her. She looked up, seeing his dark shadow in the corner and her mouth spread into that gorgeous smile that made his heart absolutely hammer in his chest.

“You okay?” She asked, her brows turning up in concern.

“Just enjoying the view.” He told her, and Poppy flushed a bright red, taking another sip of coffee. He headed into the kitchen, fixing himself a cup of coffee, and heading to sit with Poppy near the window.

“What’s that?” He motioned to the manuscript, taking a sip of coffee.

“Something called A Violent Affair.” She answered. “It’s about this girl who falls in love with a guy in the mafia and then she’s forced to get involved with it too.”

Tora snorted and rolled his eyes.

“What?” Poppy grinned.

“Just seems a little unlikely.” He told her.

“Why? Because she’s a girl?” Poppy pressed, annoyed by his cockiness.

“I mean. She’d get killed pretty fast. Or worse.” He shrugged.

“What if she’s the one doing the killing?” Poppy arched an eyebrow in challenge at his egotism. Tora decided right now the best course of action was to keep his damn mouth shut and just shrug. Poppy pursed her lips at that reaction. 

“Chauvinism at its finest.” She grumbled.

“What?” He growled.

“I said—“

“I know what ya said, but I’m telling ya the facts. There are a lot of organizations who won’t take women because they’re liabilities—distractions. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the consequences of putting them in the field. And it doesn’t make me a fucking chauvinist.” 

Poppy had struck a nerve with this conversation. His lip was still up in a sneer at her over the term chauvinist, and Poppy put her hands up in defeat,

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry I called you a chauvinist. I’ve just seen lots of movies where they hire women as spies and they’re—“

“That’s Hollywood. Fake. Besides, spies have more coverage on their asses than organized crime does.” He told her.

“Right.” Poppy nodded, dismissing the conversation and putting a pen to her lips. Tora took another sip of his coffee, then leaned over, kissing Poppy on the temple and said,

“Gotta go to work.”

Poppy glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was gone and muttered,

“Asshole.”

Tora poked his head around the corner, an incredulous grin plastered on his face,

“Did you just call me an asshole?”

Poppy jumped and squeaked at that, and Tora stepped out from the bedroom, his arms crossed. 

“Uh.” Poppy nervously looked out the window. “Yes?”

“I’ll show you asshole.” He launched himself at her, attacking her ticklish spot mercilessly as Poppy rolled around on the floor trying and failing to dodge his attacks, and launch her own counterattacks. Eventually, he pinned her down on the ground, hands over her head.

“Am I still an asshole?” He asked. Poppy pondered, looking away from him. 

“Little bit.” She grinned, and he leaned down, planting a kiss on her neck. Poppy shivered in response.

“How about now?” He asked, hair falling down over his shoulders, looking down at her, eyes smoldering.

“Oh.” Poppy grinned. “Biggest asshole ever.”

Tora grinned, releasing her arms, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
“Ay, you awake?”

Katashi’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a voice speaking to him. For a second, he thought he must’ve been dreaming because as long as he had been in this cell, no one had spoken to him.

“Hey.” He heard the voice again. It was coming from the bunk beneath him. Surely it was Alfred. He rolled over into his stomach, peeking under his bunk to see Alfred looking up at him. He stared, waiting for Alfred to continue.

“Just wondering how you knew Ramsey is all.” His voice was quiet, high pitched even. He twiddled his fingers in intimidation.

“I don’t.” Katashi answered. “We just—sort of ran into reach other.”

Alfred nodded a little, his eyes flicking down to his feet and then back up at Katashi.

“So. He’s not your friend?” Alfred quietly inquired. What was this, grade school? Friends and enemies? 

“Well, as far as people can be friends on the inside, I guess we sort of are.” Katashi shrugged. “Why so interested in Ramsey?”

“I’ve been reading about sociopaths. He seems to be a textbook case of one. I’m just very interested in his history and characteristics.” Alfred pushed his glasses up on his nose, and Katashi looked at him in confusion, asking,

“Ya want to—study him?”

Alfred shrugged,

“I study everyone.”

“Me included?” Katashi asked. 

“Of course.” Alfred smiled. “Depression, anxiety, poor coping strategies, poor anger management skills. Potential sociopathy if left unchecked. Potential bipolar disorder.”

Katashi blinked a few times at him.

“And you?” Katashi asked.

“Aspergers syndrome coupled with a few schizophrenic tendencies and a touch of bipolar disorder.” Alfred explained. Katashi had no idea what almost any of that meant and really didn’t want to ask him to go into depth because he had a feeling he would be there all night if he asked him to clarify.

“Right. On that note.” Katashi rolled back onto his back, closing his eyes.

“I know you didn’t have anything to do with what you were charged with.” Alfred told him. Katashi opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling.

“Is that so?” Katashi pressed.

“You only fight when you’re backed into a corner, physically and figuratively. You murdering someone or even hiring someone to murder someone seems highly unlikely.” Alfred explained, his voice floating up through the bunk bed like a whisper. Katashi sighed, focusing on that one spot in the ceiling that helped him calm down.

“You don’t know me.” Katashi gently told him. 

“Maybe not.” Alfred seemed deep in thought as he spoke. “But I know you’re a good person.”

Some part of Katashi wished he could’ve just made Alfred shut up, but now hearing him talk, and knowing that he was accurate in just about everything he said made him an undeniable ally. 

“Thanks.” Katashi cleared his throat.

“Wasn’t a compliment. Just an observation.” Alfred told him.

“Right.” Katashi rolled his eyes, but that didn’t stop the fact that it still felt good to hear someone say that he was a good person anyway. Alfred fell quiet for a second, and then he said,

“I’ve been thinking of starting riots. What do you think about that idea?”

Katashi snorted. The sheer thought of Alfred starting a riot was one of the most humorous things he had heard all day. He could just imagine him walking up to someone in an attempt to educate them and getting punched in the face. That was as close to a riot as he was going to get.

“Sure. Yeah, ya going to start a riot. Right.” Katashi laughed.

“Katashi, do you know why riots start?” Alfred’s voice was calm, despite just being mocked.

“People fighting each other and shit.” Katashi shrugged.

“The ‘and shit’ part is the key.” Alfred said. “Riots start because of deeply rooted social and personal injustices that have been perpetuated over great lengths of time.”

“English, please.” Katashi sighed.

“People are upset about something that has been done to them personally or their kin of a sort. It’s something that has been going on for a long time. And eventually, it reaches a boiling point.” Alfred told him.

“And how do ya suppose that’s going to work here?” Katashi asked. “When the whole system is rigged against inmates.”

“It’s not us against the system. We need the system for this to be successful.” Alfred explained. “It’s us against us.”

“So ya want us to riot against each other? As in other inmates?” Katashi clarified.

“My god. You are a regular Sherlock Holmes.” Alfred flatly scoffed. Katashi popped his head over the side of the bed and glared at Alfred,

“Say that again and I’ll kick ya ass.”

“Threaten me again, and I’ll make sure the you’re the first one dead in the riots.” Alfred told him point blank, and for some odd reason, Katashi believed him when he said this. Although he still hadn’t asked Alfred why he was doing time, he suspected he was a mastermind of a sort.

“Are ya asking me for my help or just telling me what ya plan is?” Katashi inquired, suddenly completely uncertain about Alfred’s motives.

“If you want to be involved, I could offer you a certain amount of immunity. Besides, I could use a research assistant.” Alfred told him.

“I’ll think on it, but I want to know the motive.” Katashi told him.

“Motive?” Alfred asked.

“Yeah. Why do ya want to start the riots in the first place?” Katashi pressed. Alfred looked at him like he just asked the most peculiar question he had ever heard.

“Why not?” Alfred shrugged, and for some reason, his response gave Katashi the creeps, a cold shiver running through his body.

“How about because lot of people will die and ya safety isn’t guaranteed?” Katashi shrugged.

“When is my safety ever guaranteed? I could be walking with a book down the stairs, trip, fall and break my neck. I could be driving along the highway when I crash into a deer and it impales me. I could be walking along the sidewalk when a car goes off the road and beheads me. There are no safeguards in this life.” Alfred’s lack of emotion frightened Katashi, and he almost wished he had just stayed asleep.

“Then, can ya give me a reason why I should help ya? Or why anyone should for that matter?” Katashi pressed, trying to shake the creepy vibe that Alfred was giving off.

“Certainly. Besides being involved in a social experiment that will yield tremendous results, you would be made to look like an upstanding felon to the warden. The golden boy not involved in the riots, but in the library, studying for his GED. In fact, you’re the one who warned him of these possibilities, but alas, as the system usually works, he didn’t listen. When your parole hearing comes up, it’s like a gold star on your record.” Alfred explained. If that was true, that would mean Katashi could potentially get out on his own without having to wait for Vincent to decide he was ready to free him. He could do things on his terms, and he could still make connections in the process, maybe even offer some sort of deal with them before the riots began.

“I’m in.” Katashi said.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“And now for today’s top story: Riots have once again broken out in Narin City Prison. The demand to pull funding and shut down the prisons due to lack of proper control has been an outcry from the citizens, who demand to feel safe in their own city amongst the threat of escaped convicts. The mayor of Narin City has yet to comment on the subject.”

Tora glanced over at the television screen, seeing several SWAT trucks arriving outside of the prison, the yard filled with at least a hundred prisoners fighting, shaking the gates, and screaming obscenities. 

“Alright. Let’s talk Yamamoto.” Gyu said, plopping a file down on the table. Tora headed over to the table, putting his hands down and leaning in to listen, the rest of his security team nearby, listening to the details.

“Dude has an army on his side essentially. Basically, he sort of absorbs other organizations as he picks them off. Sort of like a prisoner of war type tactic. He offers them a chance to live if they join his organization or die with the organization they’re currently a part of. It doesn’t take a genius to know what they’d choose. So, he’s got a pretty massive following.” Gyu explained.

“But they can’t all be loyal to him.” Tora said, looking over at Gyu.

“Well, logically speaking no. They were forced into this life, and I’m sure there’s a lot of bad blood in the organization, but there’s not much they can do about it.” Gyu shrugged.

“What if we did something about it?” Tora asked. “What if we infiltrated the organization and planted that seed of doubt?”

“That sounds like a great idea and all, but who’s going to be the one to go in and do that? I’m pretty sure Vincent isn’t going to be all that happy about someone leaving the organization.” Gyu told him.

“What about me?” A tiny voice asked from the corner. Tora turned and glared sharply at the voice. Poppy shrank back against the intensity of his stare, suddenly wishing she would have just stayed silent. She clutched two brown bags of lunch, pulling them up to hide her face from his scathing stare.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Tora sneered, and Poppy put her hands up, saying,

“I was on my lunch break, and Lang brought me here.”

Tora turned toward Lang, who crossed his arms defiantly, saying,

“She said something about lunch plans, so I just took her to you. What did you want me to do?”

“Actually, Poppy would be a great candidate for the infiltration.” Gyu shrugged, and it looks could kill, Gyu would have been cremated on the spot because as soon as he got the last consonant out of his mouth, Tora slowly turned, his whole body tensing up, and stared him down.

“Like fuck she would.” Tora growled, his eyes darkening and Gyu shrank away from Tora too.

“I mean, I feel like it should be my decision.” Poppy shrugged.

“No.” Tora flatly grumbled. “It shouldn’t. You don’t know what the fuck ya doing.”

Poppy looked down at her feet, her brow furrowing in frustration. Stupid asshole Tora from earlier in the morning was back. Mr. Girls-Can’t-Be-Part-of-Criminal-Organizations himself in the flesh.

“Besides, this is organization business, and ya not a member. Ya don’t get a say in all this. Her involvement is off the table.” Tora told his crew. The room went silent for a moment, the tension thick as the crew shifted uncomfortably.

“Not if she was a merc.” Lang grumbled.

“What did you just say?” Tora hissed.

“I said if she was a mercenary, her involvement wouldn’t be off the table. We could hire her to—“

Tora launched himself at Lang, throwing a punch that narrowly missed his face, but only because his crew pulled him back before he had a chance to land it.

“Poppy. Go the fuck home. We will discuss this later.” Tora bellowed, pushing his crew off of him and pacing in the corner. Poppy nodded, dropping a lunch bag off, and scurrying out of the office, followed by her bodyguards.

“If you ever—EVER suggest anything that puts her in harm’s way again, I will dismember you in front of every fucking one in this room.” Tora sneered at Lang. “And I will do it while you’re high on adrenaline because I want you to feel every bone in your body snap beneath my fingers.”

Lang put his hands up in surrender, backing out of the room, and saying,

“Fine. Just a suggestion. Didn’t realize things were personal between the two of you.”

“Where the fuck have you been, then?” Gyu mumbled incredulously. Lang cast a dark stare in his direction, before sighing in frustration, turning on his heel, and leaving the room.

“Now. Who has a better suggestion?” Tora snapped.


	15. Alliances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter today. Lots of family in town. Sorry everyone!

15  
*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
“Do you know those guys?” Alfred nodded toward the group of Triads sitting in the corner of the library, all reading, all engaged in what they were reading.

Katashi rolled his eyes.

“No. Those are Triads.” Katashi sighed, really annoyed to be having this conversation for the second time.

“And?” Alfred flipped the page in his book.

“And they’re Chinese. I’m Japanese.” Katashi explained again.

“Then, you know those guys?” Alfred nodded over to the Yakuza table and Katashi wanted to punch a bookshelf.

“No. I don’t. I’m not in their organization. Just because I’m Asian doesn’t mean I know all the other Asians.” Katashi was trying to keep a cool tone. “Do you know every other black dude in here?”

“Most of them.” Alfred answered easily. Katashi’s mouth gaped in frustration as he shook his head.

“Why did ya want me here again?” Katashi pressed, scratching the back of his neck. Alfred looked up from his reading.

“I want you to go talk to them.” Alfred told him.

“Who?” Katashi inquired.

“Pick one.” Alfred went back to his reading.

“Are you insane?” Katashi hissed, drawing the attention of the Triads, who glanced over in his direction with a frustrated glance. Katashi bowed in apology, and they went back to their reading.

“My mind is absolutely sound.” Alfred told him, licking his finger and turning the page.

“You’re going to get me killed.” Katashi told him. “You can’t just walk up to them and start a conversation.”

“Why not? Isn’t that how introductions work?” Alfred shrugged, his eyes flicking from Katashi back to his book. Katashi hated his simplistic point of view. Despite being in the pen longer than Katashi had, he still had no concept of the social system in prison.

“What exactly are you wanting me to find out?” Katashi asked.

“Just talk to them. Have a normal conversation and listen to what they have to say.” Alfred said.

Katashi glanced at Alfred who stared at him back until Katashi got out of his chair. He headed in the direction of the Yakuza, taking a sharp left into the resource materials.

He glanced through the shelves, studying the members of the clan before he heard someone ask,

“Is there a reason you’re stalking my clan?”

He turned, seeing one of the members who had been sitting at the table reading through a History of Japan text, leaning back against the bookshelf. Katashi had to think quickly. His brain shot through everything he knew about the Yakuza like a checklist:

-strong nationalism

-into gambling

-into racketeering

-drug trade

-buying stocks, exposing companies

He settled on the one he was most familiar with.

“I was—looking for someone to help me understand my past.” Katashi started. He felt like he sounded like an idiot, and the other clan member must’ve thought so too, because he glanced over at Katashi with a brutal stare, dark eyes and pale skin studying him.

“My—great great great great, I don’t know how many greats, grandfather was a man named Asura.” Katashi stammered. The clansman’s eyes widened at the mentioning of Asura.

“A—and my family has sort of snuffed out that part of my life. I know you guys are well educated in that history. So I just thought—“ Katashi pressed.

“Come with me.” The clansman said, and Katashi suddenly became incredibly nervous. Katashi followed toward the group.

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Poppy considered crawling into bed and pretending to be asleep. She even considered hiding in a closet to avoid the wrath of Tora, but she knew eventually she would have to face him.

So, when the door opened violently and slammed violently and she heard his footsteps stomping toward her, she knew she was in trouble.

Poppy hid her head under the blanket, lying back on the couch and refusing to move. She heard his footsteps approach the living room, pause for a moment, then head over to the couch and stop. Poppy froze, her heart pounding out of her chest, before slowly pulling the blanket down to her nose. 

Tora wanted to be mad at her. In fact, when he was on his way to the apartment, he was pissed. Beyond pissed because now people were actually talking about her involvement being a good idea, even considering her a free agent. Hell, he was even mad when he came into the apartment, searching for her.

But the minute he saw her curled up under the blanket, her cute little eyes peeking out from over the blanket, he found he just couldn’t be mad at her anymore.

“Are you here to kill me?” Poppy whispered, peering over the blanket in terror. Tora’s lips twitched at that question, and he tried as hard as he could to keep a straight face as he spoke to her.

“I’m considering it.” Tora told her, crossing his arms. “Poppy, seriously. What the hell were ya thinking?”

“I just.” She shrugged. “I—I wanted to help since I was involved in this.”

“Okay. Then, you want to go in?” Tora asked her, sitting next to her. “Are ya prepared to kill someone? Because ya might have to. Are ya prepared to be tortured? Maimed? Raped? Because if they find out who ya are and what ya really doing there, that’s what they’re gonna do to you.”

Poppy’s eyes widened a little, her breath increasing as she listened to him.

“N—no.” She stammered.

“I know ya wanna help, but this isn’t the life ya want, Poppy. It’s constant paranoia. Always looking over your shoulder, and I wouldn’t be there to save ya. You’d be on ya own.” He told her. Poppy swallowed audibly, looking at him and nodding.

“Okay.” She told him. “I get it.”

“Which is why I’m going to offer myself to them.” Tora told her.

“You,” Poppy’s eyes widened, “You WHAT!”

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

The clansman pulled a chair out next to him and the rest of the group glanced up from what the were reading, shutting their books.

“This guy says his ancestor is Asura. Says his family refused to teach him about his heritage. Wants to know more.” The clansman told his group. The other group members glanced around at each other.

“Do you know who Asura was?” One of them asked him. Katashi had never felt more intimidated than at this moment in his life with five Yakuza clansman staring him down as he spoke. Katashi stared blankly back at them.

“He was a king.” The first answered back. Katashi nodded.

“Why are you really here?” The one who brought him over asked. “Clearly, growing up, you weren’t taught this was of value to you. It’s hard to believe you would care about this now.”

“I don’t know anyone.” Katashi told them. “Besides Ramsey.”

“I see. You’re searching for a place to belong.” The first said. Katashi felt like a child when he said that, the unease making his leg move uncomfortably.

“You already belong to an organization.” Another group member mentioned. “I see the crest.”

“Balthuman.” Katashi admitted. “He’s the one who put me in here.”

“How did you disgrace him?” The first inquired.

“I didn’t.” Katashi told him honestly. “He told me he felt like I needed to toughen up and make connections.”

The clansman looked at each other, one nodding to the other.

“It sounds to us like the loyalty within your clan is unstable.” The first assessed.

“I’m—not sure.” Katashi admitted. The first nodded, putting a hand on Katashi’s shoulder, asking,

“Do you want to belong somewhere there is loyalty?”

Katashi knew what he was asking—he wanted him to join the Yakuza clan. He wanted that loyalty.

“I’m—not sure if I can join you even if I wanted to. My boss is—very powerful.” Katashi explained. The first nodded.

“Why don’t you take some time to think on it? In the meantime, we recognize you have the potential to be a great member.” The first explained.

“Can I know ya name?” Katashi inquired.

“I’m Kaen. I represent our group.” Kaen told Katashi. 

“Katashi.” He introduced himself. 

“I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other in the near future.” Kaen told him. Katashi wasn’t sure if this was a threat or simply a wish for the future. Either way, Katashi nodded, heading back toward the table at which Alfred was sitting. Alfred flipped another page, then said,

“Well?”

“They tried to recruit me.” Katashi told him. Alfred’s mouth curved into a small smirk, a strange glint passing over his eyes.

“Excellent.” 

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“Why would you do that?” Poppy sneered.

“Because it’s my job.” Tora told her. 

“But what about all that stuff you said for if they find out?” Poppy pressed back, angrily, feeling it was unfair of him to try to scare her out of it when he was willing to just jump right in.

“I know how to handle those things, Poppy.” He told her, and she believed him.

“What about the—k—k—“ she tried to get it out, but she was almost unsure if she really wanted to know.

“Killing? Yes. I can do that too.” He mumbled.

“Have you?” Poppy couldn’t help herself. It just sort of came out.

“Have I killed?” He clarified.

Poppy nodded. Tora felt strangely afraid to tell her the truth, unwilling to lose her due to fear, but knowing he had never lied to her before, and he shouldn’t start now.

“Yeah. I have.” He sighed. Poppy nodded. She felt like she probably knew, but hearing it left a bad taste in her mouth.

“A lot of people?” She pressed further.

“Enough of them.” He admitted.

“Can you count them all on one hand?” Poppy asked. Tora said nothing for a moment, and then sighed,

“No. Do you really want to know this, Poppy?”

“I just want to know you.” Poppy told him. He looked away from her, ashamed of who he was.

“Does it ever bother you?” Poppy asked him.

“Sometimes.” Tora admitted. Poppy nodded.

“Does it—make ya feel weird?” He asked her, and the look of shame on his face made her want to wrap her arms around him and just hold him. She considered her response for a moment.

“It feels different.” She told him. “But if you’re worried that I’m afraid of you or that I don’t want to be with you still, I can tell you that’s not true.”

She reached out, holding his hand, and he dared to glance over at him. She didn’t look terrified or disgusted with him. Instead, she looked sympathetic, worried about how he felt. He reached up, touching her face and pulling her in for a kiss.


	16. Backfiring

16  
*********  
Present Day  
*********  
“Are you seriously asking me to be okay with you joining the Yamamoto clan?” Vincent leaned back in his desk chair, putting a pen to his lips, and Tora could see it was taking everything in him not to completely snap.

“Sir. He attacked your son with the intent to kill. He attacked me with the intent to kill. I want to rip his organization apart from the inside.” Tora told him.

“He would never take you. You’re the one who killed his man.” Vincent told him. “What makes you think he wouldn’t just kill you on sight?”

Tora looked away from him, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

“I’m hearing rumors.” Vincent put his pen down and stroked his chin in thought. “Rumors that you’re involved with a girl.”

Tora shot a petulant glance in Vincent’s direction, his mouth drawn into a grim line.

“Not going to answer?” Vincent grinned. “That’s fine. Your silence is answer enough, but what I’m even more curious about is why she offered herself to the Yamamoto cause.”

Fuck.

Word had already gotten to Vincent, and he had an idea of the one who brought it to his attention. 

Fucking Lang. 

He would deal with him later.

“If she’s willing to, why stop her?” Vincent grinned.

“Because she doesn’t know what the fuck she’s signing up for.” Tora bit back. Vincent nodded, his grin turning into a full on smile as he sat back in his chair studying Tora.

“You really care about her, don’t you?” Vincent was laughing by the end of this statement, which further pissed Tora off. “I never thought I would see the day that you actually fell in love with someone.”

“I’m not—“ he tried to cut in.

“Don’t bullshit me, boy.” Vincent shook his head in return. “I know a man in love when I see one. I don’t give a shit how hard you pretend to be. I’ve been where you are. I know what it’s like, and you’re exposing yourself to a lot of potential problems.”

Tora glanced over at him, considering calling him on his hypocrisy. 

“I know. I’ve got a wife. A son. I exposed myself to a lot of potential problems, all of which, I dealt with.” Balthuman shrugged. “Now, an opportunity has presented itself for you to deal with this issue both for me and for you...and from the way you’re behaving, probably for her too.” 

“I said—“ Tora growled.

“I know what you said. I’m telling you this is a better option.” Vincent pressed back, leaning forward on the desk and folding his hands together.

“She doesn’t know anything about self-defense. She couldn’t kill if she tried. You want me to expose her to all of that?” Tora snarled.

“I want you to teach her how to take care of herself should the need arise. Then, I want her in Yamamoto’s clan.” Vincent told him. “End of discussion.”

“Like hell it is!” Tora got up on his feet, only to be met and pushed against the wall by Vincent Balthuman, who wielded a knife against his jugular.

“Don’t think that just because I raised you and you watch out for my son that I won’t end you for your utter insubordination.” Vincent seethed. “I may not be as strong as you, but I’ve got resources and connections that will have you dead within the hour. Don’t test me, boy.”

Vincent pulled the knife away from Tora, whose eyes were furiously glinting at him with a hateful energy. Tora stared Vincent down one final time before storming out of his office, slamming the door on his way out.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********  
“Well if it isn’t my beauty.” 

Katashi sneered in response at that, seeing Ramsey approaching him out in the prison yard. 

“It’s been a full twenty-four hours since I’ve seen your delightful face and your delectable body.” Ramsey clapped, rubbing his hands together, and throwing an arm over Katashi’s neck. Ramsey leaned in to kiss his cheek, and Katashi leaned out of the way quickly, growling,

“Cut that shit out.” 

“Someone’s touchy.” Ramsey sighed. 

“Always seems to be.” Alfred muttered from the picnic table behind the two of them. Ramsey turned over his shoulder, a disinterested look at Alfred, who simply stared right back at him.

“Who’s the freak?” Ramsey inquired, taking his arm off of Katashi, and crossing them across his chest, staring Alfred down.

“Alfred. My cell mate.” Katashi answered. Alfred nodded at Ramsey, and Ramsey’s top lip turned up into a sneer.

“I don’t like you.” He flatly told Alfred. Alfred smiled at Ramsey, a wry humorless smile that didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Something about that smile didn’t sit well with Ramsey. He studied Alfred, trying to put his finger on exactly what it was, and all he could think was what he said aloud,

“Are you Satan?”

Katashi snorted at that statement, and Alfred threw a petulant glance his way.

“It’s just—you have zero emotions in your face. Nothing. You smile, but it’s not a real smile. Your eyes are just blank. It’s like looking into a skull, bruv.” Ramsey motioned around his eyes as he spoke, trying to show what he meant.

“Maybe so.” Alfred easily replied, staring at Ramsey with an unbroken intensity. Katashi looked between the two of them, and he saw an uneasiness pass over Ramsey’s face.

“Okay, Alfred. That’s enough. You’re being weird.” Katashi told him. 

“I want him to be a part of this.” Alfred said, without breaking the stare with Ramsey. “The riots.”

“Why?” Katashi pressed.

“He could be a valuable asset.” Alfred finally broke the stare between he and Ramsey, slowly turning his head toward Katashi.

“Excuse me, but what in the absolute fuck are we going on about?” Ramsey cut in. Alfred glanced from Ramsey to Katashi, who said,

“Riots. Alfred wants to start them.”

Ramsey’s lips twitched, and he was just about to burst into laughter when Alfred turned a stone cold glance his way and asked,

“Ramsey. Do you know why riots begin?”

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
“FUCK!” Tora’s fist collided with the punching bag in front of him. Blow after blow collided with the bag, sweat pouring down his face, body. The bag swung back and forth, each collision, pushing him further, his breath coming quickly.

A flash of Poppy’s face, crawling away from an assailant, sobbing, bleeding, calling out for him.

He hit the back more ferociously, the bag bouncing back, striking his chest, as he growled, pushing it out of the way, jabbing, crossing.

A flash of Poppy’s face, behind held down, clothes torn off of her body, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to no avail.

The bag struck him again, and he held on, his breathing erratic.

A flash of Poppy’s face, holding a pistol with shaking hands, sobbing, pointing it at someone behind held down on the ground.

“There you are!” He heard her voice say, and he whirled around to the front of the apartment gym, seeing Poppy standing there, a comfortable smile on her beautiful face, bright eyes taking him in, a black pencil skirt fitted to her frame, and a red blouse tucked into it, tiny feet in heels to give her more height. She was perfect; untainted; untouched by this life.

How could he do this to her?

“Tora,” Poppy’s smile fell, a look of concern crossing her face, “is everything alright?”

He couldn’t do this to her. He couldn’t make her a part of this life. He didn’t care what Vincent said or did to him. Hell, bring it on, but there was no way in hell he would be responsible for snuffing the sunlight out of her smile and the life out of those beautiful eyes.

“Yeah,” he lied, forcing a grin. “I’m just—tired.”

“Well, then. You better get upstairs, get a shower, and let’s eat before you go to sleep.” She smiled. He nodded, taking a towel, and toweling off before following her out of the gym.

******

The door clicked open, and Tora headed in, following his nose toward the dining room. Poppy set out the dining table, two plates, and a spread of food for the two of them. In the middle, there were flowers and two little tea candles in votives.

“Surprise!” Poppy grinned, and she practically ran around him, striking a pose to present the table to him.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know it was your birthday?” She said. “Remember. Quincey has my number now.”

Of course he does. And he would tell her. Tora wasn’t used to surprises like this, so when he failed to react, Poppy’s face fell a little. She reached up, touching her hair in embarrassment, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

“I—I wanted to do something more for you, but I didn’t know what you would like, and no one else seemed to either.” She told him, her face flushing.

“No. I like it.” He told her. “I’m just—this is new for me.”

He looked almost shell shocked looking at the scene in front of him: this beautiful girl who did something for him that no one else had ever done, who thought about him and wanted him to feel loved and wanted. It was—healthy. And that was something he hadn’t known in a while.

“I’m going to go take a shower.” He told her, leaving the room. Poppy’s heart sank at that reaction, and she felt utterly confused, sinking down into one of the dining seats.

“Did I do something wrong?” She wondered for herself. “Maybe he hates surprises. Maybe that’s it.”

She heard the shower come on in the master bathroom, the door quietly closing. She wanted to do something to make him feel good. She wanted him to know he was important to her and this day was important to her because this was the day that brought him into the world, the day she would always be grateful for.

She stood from the table, an idea suddenly popping into her head. Her heart began to race at the thought of it because it wasn’t something she would normally ever do for anyone. Poppy had always had qualms with her body, especially when it came to any sort of real exposure. She preferred to cover up rather than be seen, but for the first time in her life, she felt beautiful around him because he told her she was, and she believed him.

“He thinks my body is beautiful.” She told herself, unbuttoning her blouse, and pulling it off, her fingers working on the zipper of her pencil skirt, stepping out of it as she walked. With shaking hands, she stripped off her undergarments, quietly opening the door to the bathroom.

In the fog of the glass shower, she could see him leaning forward, hands against the wall, feeling the hot water pour over his skin. For a moment, she felt afraid of rejection, but she closed her eyes, steadying herself, and headed forward, quietly sliding open the shower door, and stepping in behind him. It seemed he had been so deep in thought he hadn’t heard her because when she wrapped her arms around his waist, he jumped a little, glancing over his shoulder at her, before putting his hands on her arms, lacing his fingers in hers. 

For a moment; they stood together in silence, her body pressing against his, the sound of the shower a soothing break in the silence before he turned around, facing her. She could see something in his eyes—something troubling, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Talk to me.” Poppy told him. He wasn’t used to having to answer to anyone outside of Vincent, and he didn’t like that she was prying, but he also knew if it had been her, he would have wanted the exact same thing.

“Something—happened at work today. Something that just struck a nerve with me. And I haven’t been able to let it go.” He told her, running his fingers down her cheek. She caught his hand, and said,

“Do you want to tell me what it was?”

“No.” The answer was almost immediate, and Poppy’s eyes widened at the sharpness of his response.

“Okay. That’s fair.” She told him, looking away from him, and it hurt him to know that he was hurting her. “I’m sorry for barging in like this. If you want me to leave—“

“Hell no.” He told her, pulling her closer to him, and he meant it. “I never want ya to leave.”

She looked up at him, and his hands worked their way into her hair, pulling it down, those beautiful waves falling over her shoulders. He reached down, lifting her up, pressing her against the wall.

“It’s you.” He told her.

“What’s me?” She felt confused, wrapping her arms around him, his eyes awash with worry.

“I don’t want to lose you.” He told her, and her heart fluttered a little at that sentiment. He still couldn’t bring himself to tell her the full truth. 

“Is that what this is about?” She smiled. “Look, Tora. You have to trust me, and know that I trust you. I would never do that to you—hurt you like that.”

“But what if I did that to you?” He asked her, and she paused at that question. It really was an odd question, all things considered.

“Then I guess I would just have to find a way to forgive you.” She told him. And it felt like a dam broke inside of him because he pulled her forward, kissing her, her body responding to his almost instantly, an array of mouths and tongues clashing, fighting for superiority. She writhed against him, clearly wanting him, and he dug his nails into her sides. She threw her head back, hissing in pleasure and his mouth attacked her throat.

“I don’t have anything here to—“ he started.

“I don’t care.” She told him, and he looked into her eyes, lowering her body onto his, and slamming into her with a carnal growl before either of them really had a chance to think things through. 

She’d be lying if she said she really didn’t care, which was why she had been smart enough to deal with any issues that might arise from sex well before they knew each other. Feeling him drive into her, her body sliding up and down the wall was a different kind of pleasure she hadn’t experienced yet. 

She could tell that wherever he was, he didn’t seem to be with her because the way that he was slamming into her was unlike him. It was rough, unforgiving, like all he could do was rely on what he was feeling, and she couldn’t stand that.

She yanked his head back by his hair and said,

“Look at me.”

His eyes flicked up to meet hers, and he stopped thrusting, his eyes, which usually had that glow in them when they were fucking were dull, lackluster. 

“Put me down.” She told him, and he did. She pulled the door open to the shower, wrapping herself in a robe and leaving him to sort all of his shit out, refusing to be his punching bag of a sort.

She sat out on the balcony, the night air causing a chill to run across her skin and up her spine. She touched her lips, swollen in response to the kisses she had just received, and looked out at the skyline of the city. 

Behind her, she heard the door open and shut, but she refused to turn around. Tora stood next to her, his hair pulled back, sweats slung low, black tank top over his torso. He leaned against the railing beside her, folding his hands together.

“You don’t have to tell me what’s going on.” She told him. “Hell, you can talk to everybody but me if it makes you feel better. But don’t use me like that again.”

“You act like ya innocent in the whole act. You were the one who came into the shower. You were the one who threw her arms around me. You were the one who said you didn’t care. You knew I was—“ and he stopped because he realized what he was doing was wrong. He was trying to push her away; trying to distance himself from her however he could to avoid what seemed to be inevitable.

“No, please. Keep going.” Poppy fumed. “Tell me how I forced you to have sex with me.”

“No. It’s—I—“

“All night, all I’ve been trying to do is look out for you. I wanted to make you feel good. I wanted you to feel special because you’re special to me.” Her eyes were watering furiously as she spoke. “But if this is how you really feel about me. If this is your response to everything I’m doing, then forget it.”

“Poppy, please.” He tried to reason with her.

“No. All you had to say was ‘thanks.’” Poppy sneered. “You could’ve talked to me and told me you weren’t really into all that stuff. I would’ve understood.”

“Poppy—“

“But no. You just go and act like the biggest—“

“Vincent wants me to get you into the Yamamoto clan!” Tora practically shouted over her, his hands clutching at his hair in frustration and anxiety. Poppy froze, staring at him for a moment and everything suddenly began to click into place.

Poppy’s stomach lurched uneasily. 

“And—I can’t.” He told her. “I can’t let you do that. I won’t.” 

“Vincent is—your boss?” Poppy breathed, and Tora nodded.

“I don’t care what he says or what happens. It can’t be you. There has to be someone else.” Tora told her.

“And what if you deny him? What if you refuse?” Poppy questioned. Tora looked at her silently, and that answer was more than enough for her. She knew if she had to guess, it meant brutality, it meant death or maybe even both. You didn’t go against a mafia boss and come out unscathed.

“I will figure this out.” He told her, taking her hands.

“No.” She quietly said looking out at the city. “I will.”


	17. The Deal

17  
*********  
Present Day  
*********  
Poppy’s hands were trembling, but she was clutching her skirt as hard as she could to put off the shaking.

Tora had asked her to wait for him and not to make any rash decisions while he was at work. He had told her multiple times this morning:

“Don’t go anywhere without me.”

“Don’t go to Balthuman’s office.”

“Don’t try to get in touch with anyone about this.”

“Just wait. We will figure this out together.”

But Poppy already felt like Tora had enough on his plate. Maybe, just this once, she could make a decision without someone else involved. Besides, this decision was about her and her life and she was terrified, but if this meant they could all be safe. If trading herself for Quincey, and even more importantly, for Tora meant that they could finally rest a little better, then she would do that.

And that’s why she sat in the parking garage outside of the Balthuman Organization. Poppy felt a little foolish, like an outsider looking in would probably say,

“You idiot. He told you to wait. Why can’t you just do that? You don’t know what the fuck you’re doing!”

And maybe she didn’t, but no one else had been in a situation like Poppy. No one else knew what it felt like to have this pressure to save two lives for the price of entrance into an organization.

Poppy pushed the car door open, and her knees felt like jello. One nude heel clicked on the concrete of the parking garage and then another, and she stood, smoothing her cream colored pencil skirt. Nervously she adjusted her high neck navy blouse, fingering the golden abalone shell pendant around her neck. She slammed her car door, pulled herself together with a deep breath and started toward the building.

*********

“Do you have an appointment, miss?”

She heard the question, but something about it didn’t register. People in black suits and ties passed by like a whisper in all directions, a calm sense of chaos clicking and whooshing throughout the white marble floors of the lobby.

“Miss?” Poppy turned her attention to the receptionist, a petite blonde girl with beautiful light blue eyes, her thick Russian accent curling around and darting through her ears.

“I’m sorry.” Poppy answered. “I don’t, but I think, if you call him and tell him Poppylan is here to see him, he might know what you’re talking about.”

“One moment, please.” The blonde smiled, slender fingers with French manicured nails reaching for the phone and putting it to her ear. She smiled up at Poppy with her full lips, and Poppy felt a stab of jealousy, thinking of Tora walking past her and seeing her everyday. She wondered if he ever leaned on the same marble waterfall countertop to flirt with her or if her eyes ever traveled over his gorgeous body and face. Part of her felt ferociously jealous at the thought of this. She was sure she did.

Poppy’s eyes flicked to her name tag: Oksana. And damn it all to hell if she didn’t have a sexy sounding name too. Poppy imagined it tumbling off his lips with that little side smirk he did when he was flirting with her.

“Alright, Miss Wilkes. Tatiana will escort you to the conference room where Mr. Balthuman is currently meeting with his team.” Oksana told her. Poppylan smiled,

“Thank you.”

“You beautiful bitch.” She thought petulantly. “You skinny, tall, well toned, sexy beautiful bitch.”

Then, she turned to see a brunette with gray eyes smiling at her, the door open for her to enter and she wanted to cry. My god. Was the criteria for being a woman at this place to be a supermodel? Seriously?

She nervously followed the brunette woman to an elevator, and she sighed,

“I’m sorry. I’m just—nervous.”

Tatiana smiled down at her and in her thick Russian accent, she said,

“Vse khorosho. Eh—it’s alright. Most who see Mr. Balthuman are.”

And Poppy wasn’t sure if that was meant to be comforting or not, but it certainly did nothing to put her mind at ease.

The elevator doors dinged, and she led Poppy down a long hallway, heels clacking on the dark wood as they passed through the deep brown wainscotted hallways, soft light chandeliers lighting the way every few feet; a tall floor to ceiling window at the end of the hallway. She felt a bit like she was in The Shining.

Tatiana stopped outside of a set of ornate double doors, their gold Victorian handles inviting her to touch them, and push them open.

“Mr. Balthuman is currently in a meeting with several of his associates. A few rules you must follow:”

Poppy nodded, listening.

“Enter the room quietly. Do not draw attention to yourself. Do not speak until Mr. Balthuman speaks to you. Do not seek his attention. He will call you when he is ready to discuss your reason for meeting with him. Do not threaten Mr. Balthuman. All conversations held within this room are not to be disclosed under threat of legal pursuit.”

Poppy blinked a few times, a little intimidated at the prospect of legal pursuit for any reason and the laundry list of items she had to remember.

“Any questions?” Tatiana smiled warmly. Poppy shook her head jerkily, trying to calm herself down, touching her French Twist nervously, dragging her finger down to her lobe where she toyed with her golden abalone teardrop earrings. Tatiana opened the door for her, and seventeen faces turned to look at her.

Her eyes locked on Vincent Balthuman’s almost immediately, recognizing him as an older version of Quincey. She saw him glance over at her, smirk a little and then turn his attention back to his meeting.

She stood off to the side as she was instructed to do, waiting quietly, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Her eyes darted back to the group and that’s when she saw him: Hands balled into fists at the table, face remarkably impassive for how pissed he actually was, but those beautiful amber eyes boring into her with murderous intent.

“Ah shit.” She inwardly whimpered.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

“Is it because I’m white?” Ramsey asked, pacing with his hands on his hips. Alfred glanced over at Ramsey curiously.

“Yes.” Alfred told him, his attention going back to his book. “And so are the Neos, which is why it makes sense for it to be you.”

“Fuck.” Ramsey whined. “I don’t want to be associated with those bastards. I’d rather be a Triad.”

Katashi glanced over at Ramsey who was pouting like a petulant child, snorting at the thought of him ever fitting in with the Chinese mafia.

“Honestly, my body is too beautiful to be marred by swastikas.” Ramsey grumbled.

“You know,” Alfred began, “the swastika is seen in many religions as a divine symbol. It was only really considered a hate symbol after World War II.”

“Yes, I’m sure before I get shot for being a white supremacist they’ll be fascinated to learn all about the religious history of the swastika.” Ramsey dryly spat. Alfred rolled his eyes and muttered,

“So dramatic.”

“I’m touched you think so.” Ramsey put his hand to his chest. “You absolute witch’s twat.”

Alfred looked up gently, approaching Ramsey, with a disinterested attitude, and Ramsey glowered down at him, very nearly towering over him. Alfred looked to be calculating a few things before he turned his book sideways, and with an unnatural speed, he struck Ramsey in the throat with the spine of the book he was reading, whispering,

“Stricken Adam’s apple.”

Before turning the book flat, swiping it up toward his nose, whispering,

“Broken nose.”

Finally, he landed a vicious blow to Ramsey’s left ear, sending Ramsey sprawling on the ground as he whispered,

“Ruptured eardrum, and disorientation.”

Katashi stood in shock at what just happened in a timespan of about five seconds as Ramsey lay on the floor, his nose bleeding, groaning as his left ear bled too.

“You bloody—“ Ramsey roared.

“Stop. Don’t finish that.” Katashi told Ramsey, leaning down to help him up as Alfred dismissed them, calmly sitting back down at the table and going back to his reading.

Ramsey leaned on Katashi for support, glancing at him and mumbling,

“I’m starting to think that agreeing to help him was a piss poor idea, bruv.”

“That makes two of us.” Katashi told him.

“Dissent is a perfectly natural aspect of anarchy and political freedom.” Alfred told them, flipping the page of his book. “Dissent is excellent for political conversation, but is punishable by severe consequences should dissenters choose to act.”

Katashi and Ramsey exchanged a look between the two of them, Ramsey wiping the blood off of his nose. Katashi turned his glance to Alfred, a long, hard stare before he and Ramsey hobbled away together toward the bench press.

“That little—“ Ramsey fumed.

“Turn away from him.” Katashi told him, and Ramsey looked at Katashi in question. Katashi turned away, telling Ramsey,

“He’s smart. He can probably read lips, too. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“We can’t work for that fuck.” Ramsey told Katashi, leaning back against the incline press.

“Something’s not right about him. Riots are going to happen with someone like Alfred pulling the strings, but we don’t want to be in on them. We need to stay away.” Katashi seethed.

“How do you propose we do that? We’ve already committed, bruv. He’s got some weird voodoo magic that he could do to get us both killed. Not to mention, you sleep in the same cell with that fuck.” Ramsey told him. “You’ll have to play along for now.”

Katashi glanced over his shoulder and found Alfred staring at him expressionlessly. He turned back over his shoulder and nodded toward Ramsey, saying,

“Alright. In the meantime, enjoy your time getting to know the Neos.”

Ramsey’s expression changed to one of sarcasm,

“I’ll be sure to enlighten them in the fact that their symbol belonged to Hindus first. I’m sure that will go over so bloody well. For fuck’s sake.”

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
“Alright, gentlemen. You can take your leave.” Vincent grabbed a stack of papers, tapping them on the table to straighten them out and putting them back into a portfolio. 

All of the men in the room, filed out, and Poppy could feel her heart slamming in her chest as she saw Tora wait for the others to leave before setting his jaw in frustration, pushing his chair out and then rolling it back under the desk.

Time seemed to slow down as he approached her, his eyes locked on hers, an absolute rage bearing into her as he approached her, standing a little taller so as to seem more intimidating, his chest out a little more, proof of his anger and frustration, he held his gaze on her, his loathsome stare locked on her even after he passed her, and she thought she was going to pass out under the scrutiny of that stare. Finally, the door clicked shut, and she turned her attention back to Vincent, who had been watching the entire exchange between the two of them, a smirk on his lips.

“Please,” he motioned to a chair next to him. Poppy approached the table, pulling the chair out and sitting down next to him. He studied her for a moment, turning a pen in his hand in thought.

“He’ll get over it.” Vincent told her, and she peeked up at him, her hands clutching at her skirt, nodding to him. Vincent took the cap side of his pen, putting it under her chin to lift her face up to look at him.

“Confidence, Poppy.” He chastised her lightly. She saw a strange emotion pass over his face as he took the cap, turning her face to one side and then using it to turn her face to the other. 

“So, you’re the one who has my best enforcer all wound up.” He leaned back, his hands folding over his lap, crossing his leg to be a little more comfortable.

“I want to help.” Poppy told him. “But I’m not sure how.”

“Yes. Seeing you now. I’m not so sure you’re the best candidate for this job. Perhaps I should take a chance with Tora.” Balthuman thoughtfully conveyed.

“What do you mean when you say take a chance?” Poppy pressed. Vincent’s lips turned up into a Cheshire like smile.

“Tora is the one who took out the shooter. Turns out, that shooter was one of their best men. Naturally, Yamamoto is out for blood. If he took out Tora, I would certainly be using my full force to rip him apart.” Vincent explained. “Of course, should I send Tora into this situation, which I’m strongly considering doing, it’s about a 50/50 chance that they would just choose to kill him on the spot.”

A nauseous feeling slithered through Poppy’s stomach, spreading like poison hearing Vincent say this. She felt physically sick thinking about putting him in that sort of danger. 

“Unless, of course...someone—else would be willing to go in his stead.” He feigned thought, and Poppy sat up a little straighter.

“I could do it.” Poppy told him. “I just—need a little guidance.”

“Yes, you would be the perfect candidate for an infiltration.” Vincent stood, pacing around her chair. “You’re beautiful, innocent. No one would ever suspect you as a mole of a sort. All you need to do it just listen and learn, pass information along.”

“How do I go about joining?” She asked.

“I have my sources. We just need to get you up to speed on a few—important details you’ll need to know to survive.” Vincent told her. “Of course, there’s also a pesky little contract you’ll need to sign as well; promising this information to Balthuman Enterprises. It’s just an NDA of a sort. Very standard in a deal like this, I assure you.”

“Okay.” Poppy said uncertainly. 

“Luckily for you, I anticipated our meeting. So, I already have that silly little thing. Why, we can get out of the way right now.” Vincent told her, pulling a contract out of his portfolio, smiling warmly at her. “Now, do take your time to read this.”

Poppy took the contract, Vincent studying her carefully as she did, and she set herself to reading it under the heat of his ever watchful eye.

*********

Tora’s fingernails were digging into his biceps as he stood outside Vincent’s office waiting for Poppy. When the door opened, and his tiny little hamster headed out the door, he reacted almost instantly, yanking her arm, putting her up against the wall, trapping her with both arms.

“Poppy, it is taking everything I have in me right now not to yell at ya. What the fuck are you thinking?” He growled down at her.

“I—I—it’s my decision to make.” She told him, trying to project confidence. “And I made it.” 

“What do ya mean you made it?” She could tell the threads of patience were wearing away one snip at a time. Poppy sat up a little straighter, her eyes looking up into his, holding his gaze.

“I signed a contract.” She had done it. She got it all out at once in a cool, even tone. He pushed away from the wall, raking his hands through his hair before turning suddenly, punching the wall, and bellowing,

“GOD DAMN IT!”

Poppy jumped when his fist made contact with the wall. He stood for a moment, stiffly, his back to her, before he walked away from her.

Poppy clutched her necklace, terrified, for the second time, of what the night was going to look like when the two of them were home together.

*********

Poppy headed back out into the parking garage, glad to be out of the Balthuman office, digging in her purse for her keys. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow pass by her car, pause, leave something on her car, and then continue walking.

Poppy stopped dead. For a moment, she considered grabbing her phone and calling for Tora, but she when she grabbed it, she stopped, realizing how ridiculous it was for her to be calling him when she had put herself in this situation.

She steeled herself, taking a deep breath in, pulling out her taser, and heading to her car. Upon approaching her car, she saw an black envelope on the windshield, a glittering sheen on it reflecting off of the garage light. She picked it up, getting into her car and locking the door.

Poppy flipped the envelope over, a calligraphed embossed Y on the back of the envelope. Pulling open the envelope, she pulled out a thick sheet of parchment paper, and looked at it, seeing, essentially, a welcome letter to the Yamamoto organization and extending her an invitation to meet Mr. Yamamoto in person. 

She decided that she would keep this letter to herself for the time being until everything blew over with Tora. What was done was done, and there was no going back. He would have to learn to live with it.

*********

Poppy and Tora sat on opposite ends of the couch, the silence between them unsettling and sullen.

“Why couldn’t you just wait?” Tora sighed, exhausted from a range of emotions that he had felt throughout the day. He had loosened his tie, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt. “I could’ve helped you figure it out.”

“Tora, Vincent would have forced you to go in my place. You could’ve died.” Poppy explained. He glanced at Poppy, his head in his hand.

“Is that what he told you?” Tora asked her, and Poppy nodded. “He played you.”

“W—what?” Poppy’s brow furrowed, and Tora sat up.

“He made it clear to me that there was no way I was going. There’s no way in hell he would’ve agreed to send me.” Tora told her. “He played on your emotions, your fears. He’s a conman, Poppy. It’s what he does.”

Poppy felt like an idiot hearing Tora say this and she felt her stomach drop. She really was THAT naive—childish—foolish. How the fuck was she ever going to survive in a criminal organization if she couldn’t even tell the difference between fact and fiction in real life?

She looked away from him, refusing to meet his gaze. She had wanted to do this for herself; to take the decisions off of Tora and show him she could stand up for herself and take care of herself. She had one job, and she failed spectacularly. How could he not worry about her now?

At this point, Tora realized there wasn’t much of a point in chastising her anymore. Judging by the look on her face, he could tell he had made his point and the damage was done. 

Poppy got up off of the couch, passing by him to head into the closet, pulling her shoes off and hanging her clothes on the hanger, pushing them toward the front of the closet to go out for dry cleaning. 

She decided that a hot bath was in order to make herself relax just a little. She stripped her undergarments off, and headed into the bathroom, turning on the bath tub and pouring oils and bubble bath in the tub. She headed back into the bedroom, grabbing her headphones and cell phone. 

She closed the door, putting her headphones in, and dipping her toes into the water, submerging herself up to her neck, and sighing as she leaned back, closing her eyes. She pushed play, breathing in the smell of lavender, listening to the whispers of the music on her headphones.

*********

Tora felt utterly like he had lost control of the situation and that in itself scared him. If she has just given him the chance to think through the situation instead of acting so rashly like she always fucking did, he could have figured it out.

He flicked his cigarette lighter open and shut in frustration. 

God, that woman was so infuriating. Why did she always have to do the opposite of what he asked her to do? If he were in her situation he would have...

Well...

“Fuck.” He sighed. He would have done exactly the same thing. No fucking way would be have just sat back and waited to see if someone else could figure it out for him. He would’ve handled it himself. But he was different, right? Because he knew the ins and outs of these organizations. Because he was a man who could handle himself.

But that wasn’t right. This wasn’t different even if he was a pro at this situation and that was where he realized that the two of them really weren’t that much different.

After all, hadn’t he told himself that he would figure out what was going on with Goliath’s notebook and then he would stay away from her? But time after time, he found himself making excuses to see her again. To go back to her. Hell, everyone else was involved in making sure he saw her again too.

What he realized was he was a big fucking hypocrite. And yet again, he felt like the biggest asshole in the world for the way he had treated her.

“You know eventually she’s going to get sick of your piss poor attitude and just fucking leave, right?” A voice inside of him growled, blowing cigarette smoke out in a nice little design that read “You Stupid Fuck.”

He put his head in his hands for a second, listening to the sound of the running bath water. Then, he headed into the closet, stripping off his jacket, his shirt, and his tie and he gently pushed the door open to the bathroom. Poppy was lying back against the tub, eyes closed, headphones in. 

He sat next to her, putting his head on the tub and just gazing at her before he sat down on the side of the tub, reaching out with his hands and running them gently over her shoulders. Poppy started for a second, reaching for her headphones, but when she looked up to see him there, her eyes looked away from his in shame. He ran his thumbs over her neck, gently massaging away the tension in her neck.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized, and Poppy glanced up at him.

“You’re sorry? I should be the one apologizing to you.” She sighed. “I was so stupid. I fell right into what he was saying.”

“People aren’t usually like that, Poppy. I mean, sure there are conmen out there, but Vincent is a whole other level of con.” He told her. “And when I said I was sorry, I mean I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you lately.”

“You have been kind of an asshole lately.” She admitted, smirking up at him.

“Yeah, I know.” He rolled his eyes. “When I started thinking about it, I know that if I were in your shoes, I would’ve done the same thing. I would’ve wanted to handle it myself so you didn’t have to.”

Poppy didn’t say anything for a second.

“So, are ya gonna forgive me?” He asked her, looking down at her with the heart melting smirk.

“Well, jeez. I really don’t know if I should.” Poppy sighed playfully. 

“Is that so?” Tora arched an eyebrow at her.

“I may be willing to entertain offers in exchange for my forgiveness.” She stoically told him. Tora stroked his chin in thought.

“What if I promise you endless chocolate caramel muffins for the next week?” He offered.

“Nah. Not gonna work. Needs to be more—persuasive.” She grinned at him deviously.

“Persuasive, huh?” He got down on his knees next to the tub, his hand skating over the surface of the water. “What if I promised you a nice session of—stress relief?”

The back of his hands grazed her shoulder and she shivered.

“Getting better.” She smiled. “But I have something else in mind.”

“Oh, she drives a—hard bargain.” His hand dipped into the water and Poppy gasped aloud. “Then what do you suggest?”

“Unlimited access to your body—any part of your body—whenever I want it.” Her voice was low, breathy, and she looked him directly in the eyes when she said it. “Your body for my forgiveness.”

“Is that all?” He scoffed. “For how long?”

“How long can my forgiveness buy?” Poppy grinned.

“For you?” He leaned in, nipping her ear and whispering,

“Forever.”

She glanced over at him, kissing him before whispering,

“Deal.”


	18. Alliances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. Crazy day people!
> 
> Got out on bed rest while trying to finish up work for maternity leave. Had to do all of the kindergarten fun orientation stuff today, but hey!
> 
> Alliances are being formed, Poppy is back to being in a world of shit, and our tiger earns himself his name.

18

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

“Ah, my lovely little leprechaun. How very nice it is to see you again, yeah?” Ramsey wriggled his eyebrows. The red bearded man stared in disgust at Ramsey, who took no notice of his reaction and sat down next to him at the lunch table. Ramsey moves closer to him, putting his hand on his thigh and grinning,

“What say you and I get to know each other a little better?”

“What do you want?” Red beard sneered.

“Do you really want me to say it out loud in front of all these delicate virgin ears?” Ramsey deviously grinned. 

“Quit fucking with me.” Red beard turned toward him quickly, nearly face to face with Ramsey. He saw red beard’s eyes travel down to his mouth, his lips partially opening before they traveled back up to his face. Ramsey paused for a second, analyzing the situation and then said,

“I just want to spend time with others like me.”

“Like you?” Someone across the table scoffed. Ramsey turned to face the man, and almost immediately he reminded him of...

“Mr. Clean. Something you want to say?” Ramsey asked, his leg darting out under the table, playing footsie with Mr. Clean. Ramsey took a voracious bite out of his apple, winking at him.

“Yeah. You’re a fuckin’ psycho.” Mr. Clean spat.

“You must be a Yank. I hear it in your accent. Boston? Philly?” Ramsey pointed, waving the apple around as he placed his guesses.

“New York.” Mr. Clean clarified. “Though I’m wishing I wasn’t from there with all the fun movements going on right now.”

“Black Lives Matter? Antifa?” Ramsey muttered. “Yeah. I see your point, bruv.”

Mr. Clean nodded, seemingly a little more interested in what Ramsey had to say, eyes crazed, wide open.

“Tell me. You’re interested in hanging around us...but you spend all of your time with a chink?” Mr. Clean pressed. Red beard glanced over, interested to hear Ramsey’s response.

“Oh him? Nah. He follows me around like a dog. I oblige him—in so many ways.” Ramsey grinned sadistically, feeling inwardly sick he had even said that about Katashi. The rest of the group glanced at each other, smirking at him.

“Tell you what. During rec time, come hang with us. We can talk more then.” Red beard told him, and Ramsey nodded. He got up with his tray, heading back toward where Katashi was sitting, but, thinking better if it, choosing to go sit alone instead so as not to raise red flags from the Neos. Even though he knew Katashi likely understood, it still bugged him to do that to his friend. He might be a crazy bastard, but he wasn’t heartless.

********

Katashi glanced over at the Yakuza table, munching on his apple. He knew that Ramsey would have to be careful around him from that point forward, but it still sucked to lose the only friend he knew. He sighed, standing up and dumping his lunch tray and putting it up before heading to the Yakuza table.

“Katashi. Wonderful to see you again.” Kaen greeted him. “Please. Sit down.”

Kaen stared at the member next to him for an uncomfortable amount of time before he glanced over, meeting his stare, and realized what was going on. He scurried out of the way, and Katashi sat down next to him.

Kaen pulled his long, only black hair back, tying it in place, turning those dark eyes on Katashi.

“Have you given any thought to joining our organization?” Kaen asked him. Katashi’s gaze fell on the table, his hands pressed against the hard top. He glanced over at Kaen’s fingers, noticing he was missing part of his finger above the knuckle on the pinky.

“I have.” Katashi sighed. “You would still want me even with the Balthuman mark?”

“There are many members who bore many marks before joining us.” Kaen told him.

“And what of my boss? What about when he finds out?” Katashi asked.

“We are a strong clan. We are a family. We take care of our own.” Kaen explained.

Katashi took a deep breath, trying to hype himself up for acceptance. He knew once he did this, there was no going back. One thing was certain: Vincent Balthuman would end him himself if he ever figured out that he truly had joined another clan.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy sat in the lobby of an upscale hotel beneath a glittering chandelier. In order to avoid fidgeting with her hands, she picked up the tea that was offered to her, the warm cup in one hand, saucer in the other and drank from it, enjoying the warmth of it flowing down her throat.

“Miss Wilkes.” Poppy turned, seeing a woman clad in a black skirt and blouse standing and waiting for her. Poppy sat her tea down, standing to greet her. “Right this way.”

Poppy followed the woman in black through the grand arches, gripping wrought iron railings, climbing terra-cotta stairs, and passing sparkling fountains. They entered a small garden, a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, pink petals slowly falling to the ground.

Beneath it sat a man in a black in black suit in a low black chair, two other men stood behind him, one of them holding a black umbrella over his head, a stark contrast against the greens, pinks, and vibrancies of a spring day. One final man sat at the low tea table in front of the three men on another cushion.

Poppy paused in front of him and he motioned for her to sit in the floor cushion in front of him. Without a word, he motioned to his people and they poured two cups of tea: one a rich red blend with fragrant floral notes, the other, a muddy brown blend with sweet, fruity notes.

He motioned for Poppy to choose. Poppy studied the two cups carefully: the red tea was poured into an ornate China cup painted with pink cherry blossom petals and lined with a hold rim. The muddy blend was put in an old, cracked coffee mug, stained brown over time, but clearly loved.

Poppy chose the muddy brown blend. Next to Poppy, another man sat on his knees. He reached for the ornate cup, looking at the man beneath the umbrella for permission to drink. Once it was given, Poppy drank, the tea a blend of herbal berries and cinnamon. It was delightful.

Next to Poppy, the other man drank. For a moment, he made a strange bitter face before suddenly collapsing onto the table, foam pouring out of his mouth as he convulsed on the table.

Poppy scrambled backward away from the table in shock, her hand over her mouth in terror.

“Welcome to the Yamamoto organization.” She heard a voice behind her say before a cloth was placed over her face. She flailed around, trying to escape to no avail before the drug took affect, successfully pulling her under.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

“I can’t.” Katashi said at last. “I can’t abandon my organization.” 

Kaen nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re loyal to them. That’s noble; admirable even, but blind trust yields terrible consequences.” Kaen told him.

“I respect you and your crew. If I’m going to commit, I want to do so fully. I can’t do that for you right now.” Katashi admitted. He stood, bowing in apology. Kaen nodded,

“You may not be a member of our clan, but we respect you like you are one.” 

Katashi smiled,

“Thank you.”

“From here on, we will give you a respectful name: one you are worthy of; one you will live up to.” Kaen told him. 

“What might that be?” Katashi inquired.

“Tora.” Kaen told him. “Your name will be Tora.”


	19. Persecution

19

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

“Tora.” Alfred said his name aloud, musing at its lyrical sound. “Tora.”

“Yeah, it means—“ Katashi started to explain.

“Tiger.” Alfred finished for him. “So, you’ve earned their respect.”

Alfred’s musings were starting to piss Tora off because it was tough to tell where he was going with them. He didn’t know if he was going to use them against him or use them to help him. With Alfred around, there was really no telling. Alfred glanced over Katashi’s shoulder, and Katashi turned to see a guard approaching the two of them.

“Katashi, you’ve got a visitor.” The guard told him. Katashi got off of the picnic table, glancing back at Alfred who was watching him curiously.

*********

“How are you, boy?” Vincent grumbled into the phone, staring at Katashi impassively through the glass.

“Why am I in here?” Katashi growled into the phone, an accusatory sharpness in his voice.

“Careful. I have my own reasons for having you on the inside.” Vincent quietly told him, leaning back into the chair. Katashi glared at him.

“What do you want?” Katashi grumbled.

“I have it on good authority that you’ve been—on very good terms with the Yakuza.” Vincent fingered his wedding ring before glaring back up at Katashi. “So good they’ve extended you the offer to join their clan and even issued you your own name.”

Katashi said nothing. He shouldn’t be surprised Vincent knew all this. That asshole had connections everywhere, and having associations in prison really didn’t surprise him all that much.

“A word of warning: you join the Yakuza, I kill every member you interact with until you’re the only one left.” Vincent quietly threatened him. “I told you to form alliances, not recruit yourself to other clans.”

“I said I didn’t want to be a part of that clan. Told him if I ever was going to join I wanted to be completely loyal and right now, I couldn’t be.” Katashi growled. 

“Good to know.” Vincent nodded. “I also understand you’re associated with a Neo Nazi?”

Katashi nodded, and Vincent crossed his arms, shaking his head.

“Not sure how you pulled that one off, but I applaud you for your efforts I suppose. Generally, we don’t associate ourselves with the Neos, but times are changing.” Vincent shrugged. “Everyone can prove valuable in some way.”

Katashi nodded. That’s all Vincent really cared about was what one could offer him in terms of wealth or services. He never really saw the person just what the person could do.

“When are you taking me out of here?” Katashi asked. Vincent stared at him, scoffing in response to that question,

“When I’m ready to.”

And he hung up the phone, getting out of his chair and leaving Katashi to fume on his own.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy’s vision slowly came into focus, the world swirling around her in muddy shades of purple and browns. She was lying in a very comfortable bed, but the bed wasn’t her own. She sat up, glancing around the room, unsure of how she got where she was.

She pulled the blankets off of her legs, finding herself in a traditional black kimono. Her feet touched the floor, the cool bamboo surface crackling a tiny bit beneath her feet. The room was dark, her phone and personal belongings missing. 

She pushed open a rice panel door, heading into a large living room with low furniture, a small fireplace going in the center of the far wall. Someone sat on the couch nearest to the fireplace, long, inky black hair down, high padded shoulders on a black jacket.

“I thought you might wake up about this time.” She heard a female voice say, but the woman on the couch didn’t bother to face Poppy. Poppy nervously sat on the couch opposite of the woman, the woman’s pencil skirt tight against her pale legs and frame, high cheekbones flushed, accenting a beautiful face with deep almond eyes and soft, full lips stained a shade of red.

“Where am I?” Poppy asked. The woman stared into the fireplace, and answered,

“Yamamoto living quarters.”

“Why am I here?” Poppy asked.

“Because you’re being inducted into the Yamamoto organization.” Calm, simple answers.

“Can’t I go back home?” Poppy whispered.

“No.” The woman answered. “Your home is no longer who you were before.”

The woman finally turned to look at Poppy.

“In fact, the leaving of your home is the first step of your induction into this organization.” She told her. She rose calmly, approaching Poppy.

“Your first task begins now: you will be going back to your apartment to collect your belongings. You will be outfitted with a microphone and an earpiece, both of which must be worn and on at all times while out in the field.

“You will have two team members with you. Your team will consist of a watcher. This person is assigned to help the sniper but will also act as your guide for interactions as you enter the apartment. He will tell you what to say. You will say it.

“The other will be watching you through a sniper rifle. Should you act rashly or disobey the commands of the watcher, you will be shot immediately.

“You may bring with you only necessities. Necessities include clothing, shoes, sanitary items, makeup and like items. Electronics must be kept at the former home including all laptops, cell phones, pagers, and smart watches.

“Do you have any questions?”

Poppy was floored staring up at this woman. She was stone cold as she explained all of this to Poppy.

“Do—I get to say goodbye to my boyfriend?” Poppy asked.

“You may say what you are instructed to say.” The woman reiterated. Poppy nodded, knowing good and well that the goodbye she had hoped for was not the one she was going to get.

“You leave in ten minutes. Go out the door to your room. Follow the hall down to the lobby. Exit the lobby and there will be a car with two gentlemen waiting for you. Don’t be late.” The woman told her, and she exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

“Do you have an outside source you didn’t tell me about?” Alfred questioned Katashi as he returned to his cell. Katashi shot Alfred an absolutely hateful look, but Alfred simply glanced back at him.

“No. My fucking boss came to see me.” Katashi fumed.

“I take it it didn’t go well.” Alfred told him, and for once, his full attention was on Katashi instead of the book in his lap, studying him—his face, emotions, actions, everything.

“No, it fucking didn’t. How did you ever fucking guess?” Katashi hissed.

“Fascinating.” Alfred whispered, watching him like a rat in a cage.

“He knows about the Yakuza. He knows everything. He has people on the inside watching me.” Katashi told him. 

“And this—frightens you?” Alfred questioned him, in awe at his responses.

“Fuck yes it does! It could get me killed.” Katashi told him. “Or worse. It could—“

Katashi paused. No. He wouldn’t tell Alfred it would get the Yakuza members killed. Alfred would use that against him. He wanted these riots. Who’s to say he wouldn’t want to try to pick a few of them off ahead of time just because he could? Or maybe he would do something fucked up to use their deaths to start the riots. No. He would keep quiet about it. About everything with Alfred.

“Go on. I’m listening. It could what?” Alfred questioned.

“It could—it could make me lose you as a friend.” Katashi lied. Alfred sat back, his lips pressing into a hard line as he squinted his eyes at Katashi. 

“You’re lying.” Alfred said, cocking his head sideways. “But why? Why are you lying?”

Alfred stood, approaching Katashi carefully.

“What is important to Katashi?” Alfred asked, putting the book behind his back that he was holding and holding it with both hands. He circled Katashi, oddly cocking his head as he studied him. Katashi felt his heart rate rising. “What does—Katashi value?”

“You don’t care about knowledge or power.” Alfred struck those off the list. “No, that’s not in your wheelhouse of defining characteristics, but you get power because you assert your dominance through fear and intimidation.”

“You don’t want money, and you don’t care about pride.” Alfred continued to circle Katashi like a shark in the water, desperate for any taste of blood. “You showed that when you started doing what I wanted you to do. You would’ve fought me harder if this was about pride.”

Alfred paused, behind him.

“No. This is about loyalty.” Alfred whispered, nodding as he did so. Katashi turned to face him, not comfortable with Alfred being behind him.

“You’re trying to protect someone.” Alfred surmised. “But the question now is...who?”

Katashi’s heart slammed against his chest. Fuck. He was into him.

“I do love a good intrigue.” Alfred’s lips turned into a joker like smile, and he stepped forward. “But do you know what I like more?”

Katashi shook his head.

“Hunting.” Alfred told him. “Tell me, Katashi. Have you ever read ‘The Most Dangerous Game?’”

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy turned the earpiece on, checking the mic to make sure it was on.

“Can you hear me?” A voice came through the earpiece. 

“Yes.” Poppy answered.

“Good. From here on out, if I ask a question, you are not to respond orally. Respond with either a nod or a shake of the head. Follow my instructions as I give them to you. I will be listening in to your conversations. Do not deviate from my responses.” The voice instructed her. “Understood?”

Poppy nodded.

“Good.” The man responded, and the earpiece went silent. Poppy knocked on the door of her apartment, her heart beating frantically as the door opened, and she saw Tora physically relax.

“Oh my god, Poppy. Ya scared the fuck out of me. Where have you been?” Tora was trying to keep it together, but he had spent the last several hours trying to track her down. Her office hadn’t seen her, her phone was off and at home. There was no trace of where Poppy might have gone.

“I’ve been out at a museum. I needed a break.” She heard a voice say through he earpiece.

“I’ve—been out at a museum. I—I needed a break.” Poppy whispered. 

“Go inside. Collect your things.” She heard the voice say. Poppy pushed past Tora, who looked at her strangely.

“A break?” Tora asked. Poppy squeezed her eyes shut going into the bedroom.

“Yes. A break.” The voice instructed her. And she said as she was told. Poppy was praying he wouldn’t ask the next question. She pleaded with whoever was listening to her in her mind that he wouldn’t ask.

“A break from what?” Tora seemed so uncertain, insecure almost as he questioned her.

“From you.” The voice answered in her earpiece. Poppy felt tears welling up in her eyes as she shook her head. Over the earpiece, she heard the sniper rifle prepare a bullet, the clicking sound of it setting into place.

“Say it.” The voice commanded.

“From—“ Poppy’s voice wavered. “From you.”

Tora was stunned by this admission. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her as she turned the closet light on, and began packing.

“Okay.” Tora sounded put off by that remark. “So, your solution is just to leave?”

“I’m tired of dealing with your anger.” The voice instructed her to say.

“I’m—tired of dealing with your anger.” Poppy told him. Tora set his jaw in frustration, his eyes boring into Poppy as she packed her clothes with trembling hands.

“Okay. This is wrong.” Tora approached her, grabbing her arm and turning her toward him. “Ya leave the house. Go to a museum. Come home dressed in some weird kimono shit and say we need to take a break and that ya leaving? What the fuck is going on, Poppy?”

“Get him off of you, or I’ll shoot him.” She heard the voice say.

“I—found someone new.” Poppy’s tears were coming in torrents and she shoved him away from her, but he came back at her,

“Someone new, huh? Bullshit.” He growled. “Tell me the truth.”

“I am. He’s traditional. A—and he’s not like you.” Poppy yelled out. Tora approached her again, taking both arms and trying to get her to face him, to speak to him.

“Get OFF me!”Poppy all but shrieked, giving Tora a hard shove away from her.

“Please.” Poppy whispered. “Please don’t touch me.”

Tora put his hands on his hips, pacing back and forth in the small walk-in closet. He glared at her, his hand over his mouth as he did so and Poppy continued to pack her bags, frantically pulling clothes off of their hangers.

“You said you would never leave me. You said you’d never do this to me. What the fuck was that, Poppy? Lip service?” Tora spat at her. His heart was breaking a piece at a time as she continued to put him off, his sadness masked with a stark anger.

“People change.” The voice told her.

“People change.” Poppy was beginning to feel numb—betrayed.

“In three days? This all happened—this big fucking change—over the course of three days? Bull fucking shit.” Tora growled, standing a little taller, approaching her menacingly.

“Get him to back the fuck off or we will put him down.” The voice told her.

“You’re scaring me.” Poppy told him, and his face suddenly softened. 

She had never been afraid of him before. What the fuck was he doing? Why was he trying to intimidate her? That wasn’t going to make her stay, but it was the only way that he knew to get people to do what he wanted, and what he wanted more than anything was for her to snap the fuck out of it. She couldn’t leave him. She couldn’t do that to him. 

“I—I’m sorry.” He told her. Poppy glanced over at him, pausing for a moment as she put the last of her clothes into her suitcase.

“It’s too late.” The voice in the earpiece said.

“It’s too late.” Poppy whispered, shouldering last him and moving into the bathroom to collect her things.

“No.” His voice was breathless. “No, you said no matter what I did, you’d find a way to forgive me. I know I’ve been an asshole these past few days. Believe me, I know.”

He approached her, standing closer to her as she reached into the medicine cabinet for her things. He wanted to reach out and grab her, to force her to stay.

“I’ve been hard to deal with. I’m always a fucking jerk, but I’m trying—I’m trying to be better for ya. I’m quick to anger and I—I don’t always consider ya opinion, but I’m always fucking thinking about ya.” He told her, and Poppy wanted more than anything to just drop everything and throw her arms around him.

“Please,” he told her. “Don’t do this.”

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t.” The voice told her. She could her the humor in his bitter voice. She knew the voice was setting Tora up for a spectacular heartbreak—one he would never return from, and she had no choice but to comply.

“Give me—one good reason why I shouldn’t.” She barely managed to say. Tora reached out, touching Poppy’s face, eyes pleading for her to hear him, to stay, fingers skating across her lips.

“One good reason?” He whispered. “Poppy—I love you.”

The voice on the other line was silent for a moment, and Poppy looked into his eyes before she heard the voice say,

“That’s not good enough.”

Poppy squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.

“No.” She sobbed. “No, I won’t.”

“Say it. Now.” She heard the voice say, and she saw a red laser dot appear on Tora’s back through the window.

“That’s—not good enough.” Poppy sobbed. Tora stood frozen, his heart effectively fully broken as she snatched the rest of her supplies, throwing them into the bag, zipping it up, and rushing out the door.

“No, wait!” She heard him call out. Poppy tried to run down the hallway, hearing the door open behind her as she was about a quarter of the way down the hall.

“Wait, Poppy! Please!” He yelled out, his voice straining. She pushed the elevator button, praying it would get to her quickly, and it did, the bell ringing, doors sliding open.

“Please don’t go.” He begged her, standing in front of the elevator doors so they wouldn’t close.

“Leave me alone.” She heard the voice say.

“Leave me alone.” Poppy reiterated. Tora’s mouth snapped shut, his jaw set, and he backed away from Poppy, the doors effectively closing him out of her life.


	20. Realization

20

*********  
Present Day  
*********  
“You did well.” The voice told Poppy, who was hysterical, barely holding herself together by a thread.

“Fuck you.” Poppy sobbed. “I didn’t want this.”

“But you did this. For the organization.” The voice said.

“If I knew this is what joining meant, I’m not sure I would’ve made the decision.” She told the voice.

“Careful saying that out loud. It’ll get you killed.” The voice said. “See you in the car.”

*********

Tora was about to lose his mind. He stormed around the apartment, throwing pillows, glasses, anything he could get his hands on, he destroyed. He didn’t know what was happening to him; why he felt so overwhelmed; why he was so angry but felt like he wanted to cry at the same time.

He slid down onto the ground, holding his head in his hands, raking his hands through his hair, replaying the whole conversation in his mind. What had he missed? Where did he go wrong? What the fuck was happening?

“This isn’t right.” He said to himself. “It’s not right.”

His mind replayed the conversation again and again in his mind. No, she wouldn’t do that to him. She had to love him. Even if she hadn’t said it.

“Maybe she really did find someone else.” That nasty voice in his mind reared it’s head up, slithering with unpleasantries through the crevices of his insecurities.

“I don’t care.” He said at first. “If she did, that fucker’s as good as dead anyway.”

“No. That’s wrong. Everything was off.” He told himself.

What was it? He couldn’t put his finger on it. Something was wrong. What the fuck was it? Figure it the fuck out! 

He thought back to their conversation. Where was it?

“One good reason?” He had said. “Poppy—I love you.”

“No.” She had said. “No, I won’t.”

No, she wouldn’t what? Why would she say that? It didn’t make sense.

He even remembered her shaking her head a few times. Why? Why would she do that? That wasn’t natural. Poppy wasn’t a stream of consciousness kind of girl.

He stood, heading into their bedroom. Yes, the closet was empty. But. She left her phone. And her purse. And her laptop. And her car keys. Why? Why would she leave those things but take everything else?

Tora whipped his phone out, dialing Ronzo.

“Big bro.” He heard Ronzo say delightedly.

“I need you here. Now.” Tora barked.

*********

“So. She took her clothes and all of her other shit. But no electronics and she didn’t take her car.” Ronzo clarified.

“Right. I need you to get into her phone and her laptop. Any accounts of hers you can get into. I need a trace of her. Something’s off.” He told him.

“Okay. Bro, I hear you and I believe you, but what you’re asking me to do. You’re invading her privacy. Women hate that shit.” Ronzo told him, clapping him on the shoulder. Tora grabbed Ronzo’s hand, squeezing it furiously and getting in his face, saying,

“I don’t give a fuck about her privacy right now.” He threw Ronzo’s hand off to the side. “Besides, if she really left me, it doesn’t matter anyway.” 

“Alright. Fine.” Ronzo put his hands up in assent. Ronzo set to work opening up her laptop and phone, cracking the phone open first. He handed it to Tora, who went through everything: phone calls, texts, emails. But nothing stood out to him. Everything was normal from the end.

“I’m going to check her car while you work on her laptop.” Tora told him, grabbing her keys.

*********

Tora searched through the console, finding nothing. He flipped down the visors, searched her trunk and back seat. Nothing.

He sighed, sitting in the backseat, wracking his mind for what he must have missed. He put his head in his hands, replaying the conversation in his mind and that’s when he saw it:

The corner of a glittering black envelope peeking out from under the drivers seat.

*********  
7 Years Earlier  
*********

“Kaen, can I have a word?” Katashi approached the Yakuza gang. Kaen glanced at the other members and nodded to Tora, leaving the picnic bench and going off to the side.

“It’s about my boss.” Katashi told him. “He knows about the invitation to join your clan.”

Kaen looked at him without any emotion, studying Katashi’s expression.

“He warned me that if I joined or even looked like I was warming up to your clan that he would come for you and your men.” Katashi explain. At that, Kaen raised his eyebrows.

“Is that so?” Kaen said. “Because we were told it was you who would be coming for us.”

“What?” Katashi’s confusion was evident on his face as he spoke to Kaen.

“We understand you’re meddling with inside affairs—trying to incite a riot.” Kaen crosses his arms, continuing to study Katashi.

“My cell mate, Alfred, wants to start them. He wants leniency on his parole for his good behavior when the riots do break out.” Katashi explained. “And it seems he already has the wheels in motion.”

Kaen nodded, processing all of this information. Katashi hated that he seemed to be at the center of all of this. It was his fault Vincent wanted to come after the Yakuza, and now it was his fault that the Yakuza had become involved in Alfred’s scheme.

“I know you might not believe me, but Alfred is dangerous. He knows how to get into people’s minds and make them do things they wouldn’t normally do.” Katashi told Kaen. “People don’t suspect him because he’s quiet—always reading. That’s what makes him the perfect person to do that though. He hides in plain sight.”

Kaen nodded, hearing what Katashi was saying.

“Anyway. You don’t know me. You don’t know if I’m trustworthy or not, and I get that. But I wanted to at least warn ya about what I knew. Just—watch ya backs.” Katashi turned away from him, and Kaen caught his arm, yanking him toward him and holding him up by his jumpsuit.

“Thank you, Tora.” He said, shaking him. “This way, Alfred will think there’s an issue between the two of us. Trust me when I say we will deal with both issues accordingly. Now, walk away angry.”

Kaen pushed him off, looking after him as Katashi stalked away toward the weight benches.

**********  
Present Day  
**********

The motherfucking Yamamoto clan.

That’s what this was. Everything made sense: the black kimono, her sudden disappearance and reappearance, leaving everything at the apartment, all of it. The only thing that didn’t make sense is their conversation in the apartment. Why not just have her start over and send someone to get her things? Why have her sever ties in person? Why was she acting so strangely as she broke things off with him?

He flipped his phone out, dialing Ronzo.

“I want you to comb through CCTV footage of all of the streets and buildings within a two block radius of our apartment building from within the last three hours. Report ya findings to me in the next hour.” Tora growled, then hung up the phone.

He pulled the invitation out of the envelope again, studying the place and time.

*********

“Sniper and watchman on the rooftop.” Ronzo told him, pointing out the two figures on the rooftop watching their apartment building.

“Why would he have a walkie?” Tora pondered aloud. “His sniper is next to him. Who would he be communicating with?”

“The organization?” Ronzo suggested.

“But why? She’s already there getting her things. They know where she is. She’s being watched. I’m sure the sniper would have taken her out if there were any suspicions.” Tora said, and thinking of the fact that she had a dead shot trained on her the entire time and, he was completely unaware of it disturbed him.

“Maybe he’s feeding her information?” Ronzo shrugged. Yes. That was it.

“No.” She had said. “No, I won’t.”

She was responding to someone. She was refusing an order or at least trying to. At one point, Tora saw the laser from the sniper rifle shoot out and into their window. How had he missed it? Was his back turned to it? Clearly, it wasn’t trained on her or that sniper would’ve been dead, which meant the laser was trained on him. It was a threat to Poppy—they had threatened to shoot him if she didn’t comply. They had forced her to make these decisions. 

Part of him sighed inwardly at the fact that she hadn’t really made the decision to leave him, and, in fact, seemed to be refusing to. But the other part of him felt angry and worried. This meant she was in the initiation process. He had to be okay with losing her for the time being until she gained a little more freedom in the organization. But he needed to know she was okay.

Tora paced for a second, trying to sort out his options, when suddenly he froze. He stepped out onto the balcony, dialing a number, and putting the phone up to his ear. The number rang twice before he heard a breathy voice purr,

“Well, if it isn’t my tiger. I was so hoping I would hear from you again.”


	21. Fucked

21  
*********  
Present Day  
*********

“Mizuki.” Tora’s voice was brisk, but informal.

“Mmm I love it when you say my name like that. Are you calling so we can have round two at Hirohito Hotel? Because if so, I’m on my way now.” The lust in her voice made Tora smirk at the very least. 

“I need your help with something.” Tora avoided the topic of sex like the plague with Mizuki. She was a nympho, and, although Tora has no issues with nymphos and she was a damn good lay, she no longer held any interest to him.

“Something?” She purred. “Or someone?”

“A little of both.” He told her, crossing his arms.

“Oh. Intriguing. Do tell.” He heard the flick of a cigarette lighter on the other side and the soft exhale of smoke coming from her lips.

“Your group took someone I need. And I’d like to see her again and keep tabs on her.” He explained.

“Her?” The smile in her voice was apparent. “And...just why is she important?”

He heard Mizuki’s lips puff a little on the cigarette and another slight exhale.

“Company business.” He gruffly answered.

“You wouldn’t happen to be talking about Poppylan Wilkes, would you?” He couldn’t hear the smile in her voice when she asked, and it aggravated him to know that she was well aware of what he wanted from the beginning.

“That’s her.” He confirmed, trying the best he could to give as little as possible to her.

“Mmm sorry. She’s off limits. Even to me.” Mizuki told him.

“Bullshit.” Tora growled.

“Is it?” She prodded back.

“You’re his daughter. Nothing is off limits to you.” He told her.

“And what will you give me if I give you access to her?” Mizuki pondered aloud.

“What’s your price?” He knew she had something in mind. Mizuki never made suggestions without a plan.

“Well. I’m a simple girl. I want a repeat of Hirohito Hotel, and I’ll give you access to your little flower.” Mizuki told him. Now, he was conflicted. On the one hand, he and Poppy were technically broken up, so if he did fuck Mizuki, he would be well within his rights to. On the other hand, he knew the truth. He knew Poppy hadn’t willingly gone, and the thought of fucking Mizuki knowing what he knew made him feel sick to the core. Still, Mizuki was never one to do things without a reason. She was well aware of what was going on and could use this as leverage against him with her at any point.

“Well, Tiger. What’s it gonna be?” Mizuki asked.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

“Have you been keeping tabs on him?”

Alfred tapped his fingers on the table, considering his response to this question.

“He’s been making things more—difficult lately.”

“To be expected.” The voice said over the phone. “He’s always been—difficult.”

Alfred nodded.

“You say he’s been conversing with the Yakuza.” The voice mentioned, almost asking it as a question.

“It seemed like they got into a bit of an argument recently. Katashi was speaking to Kaen, their leader. He must’ve said something Kaen didn’t like because it ended with Katashi being shoved away.” Alfred explained. “They seemed to be getting along so well.”

Alfred’s mind snapped back to earlier in the morning.

*********

“Kaen, right?”

Kaen glanced over his shoulder at Alfred, who stood next to him in the library holding a book on the Los Angeles Riots. Kaen glanced down at the book for a moment, then back up at Alfred before turning away from him, seemingly disinterested in conversation with him.

“I see.” Alfred smiles. “Then—I guess I shouldn’t mention Katashi.”

Alfred turned to walk away, taking one step, whispering,

“Recognition.”

Taking two steps, whispering,

“Doubt.”

Taking three steps, before Kaen grumbled,

“What about Katashi?”

Alfred stopped, a sly smile spreading across his face. He turned back around, an innocent look on his face as he approached the table again.

“May I sit?” Alfred inquired. Kaen simply stared at him, no one at the table moving to make room. “Right, then.”

“Say what you need to say and leave.” Kaen felt something was strangely off about Alfred, and the more he studied him, the worse he felt about him.

“His boss, Vincent. He wants you all dead.” Alfred told them.

“What opposing organization doesn’t wish ill will on their competition?” Kaen sighed, seemingly disinterested in the conversation.

“He’s sending Katashi in to gain your trust. Then, when the time is right, Katashi will strike.” Kaen turned, glancing back at him sharply. “He’s also sent Ramsey to help turn the other organizations against you.”

Kaen turned away from Alfred, glancing down at his book and saying,

“Usotsuki wa dorobou no hajimari.” 

Alfred cocked his head to the side in question, and Kaen stood from the table he had been sitting at, towering over Alfred as he approached him, his dark eyes bearing down on him, as he repeated, this time in English,

“Liars are the beginning of thief. It’s a saying that we grew up hearing as children in Japan. To us it meant if you lie a lot in your early age, you will grow up to be a bad person or a thief.”

Kaen took Alfred’s book from his hand, studying the cover of the book before asking,

“So tell me, Alfred. Which are you? The thief? Or the degenerate?”

*********

“Yes,” Alfred commented, his voice far away. “I can’t imagine why he would’ve been so upset with Katashi.”

“We need the Yakuza on our side.” The voice growled over the phone, displeased with Alfred’s news.

“I thought the issue was that he was getting too close to them. Which is it? He’s too close? Or he’s not?” Alfred rolled his eyes, sighing audibly.

“He’s not to join the Yakuza, but they should have a good relationship. We need their connections. The have roots in businesses that you can’t even begin to fathom.” The voice told him.

“I’ll work on it.” Alfred promised the voice.

“No.” The voice hissed. “Fix it.”

And the line went dead.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Hirohito Hotel was one of the highest rated hotels in Narin City. It was a ritzy hotel that normally someone like Tora wouldn’t be caught dead in for several reasons:

For one, he never really felt like he was good enough to actually be welcomed into a hotel like that. He didn’t have the money or the haughty attitude that most of the patrons had.

For another, he usually wasn’t dressed for entrance. Today, for once, he worse a black suit and tie since he knew he’d be going into the hotel.

But the most prominent reason was simple: Yamamoto owned the Hirohito Hotel, and the Yamamoto Clan actively practiced their business there. Without an invitation, he’d probably be dropped on the spot.

He adjusted his jacket, reaching in and checking the clip on his pistol, before heading into the hotel. Although bustling, the lobby was fairly quiet, hushed conversations taking place here and there on the sofas and wingtip chairs that sat in the center of the lobby floor, faces barely illuminated by the soft white standing lamps that lit the lobby. Tora’s feet gently tapped on the dark hardwood floors as he took a turn to the left, heading for the Yamamoto Lounge.

The room was dark, stained glass on the far wall was lit up in a myriad of designs. In the center of the room was a grand, fully mature cherry blossom tree, lit by candles hanging from its branches and fairy lights twinkling from the tree as well. Tables and booths surrounded the tree.

Just beyond that tree is where he saw Mizuki waiting for him at the bar, which spanned an entire wall, gentle water flowing down a backboard, in front of which multiple types of liquors sat. Tora approached Mizuki, sliding into the bar seat next to her.

“Well. You haven’t changed a bit.” Mizuki smiled, looking him up and down, a predator ready to pounce on her prey. She leaned toward him to kiss him, and he glared at her out of the corner of his eye. She stopped.

“Let me make this clear.” He told her. “I’m here as part of our arrangement. Ya wanted to fuck in exchange for access to Poppylan. Let’s fuck, but don’t think I’m here because you were my first choice.”

Mizuki’s mouth unfurled into a wry smile,

“Well then. Let’s not waste any time, shall we?”

She rose from her seat, glancing over her bare shoulder at Tora, waiting for him to get out of his seat. In his mind, a battle was raging on. He knew this would kill Poppy if she found out about it. She never really got over the fact that her ex cheated on her. Wouldn’t this be the same because he knew?

He got out his seat, following Mizuki toward the elevator and up to her room.

*********

The door clicked shut and the silence between Mizuki and Tora was deafening. Mizuki reached behind her neck unclasping the halter neck of her red dress and pulling her dress off. She ran her hands through her hair, loosening it so that it fell in curls past her shoulders to her mid back.

She crawled into the bed, lounging on the pillows, her strapless, red lacy bra and underwear the only articles of clothing she was wearing. She arched an eyebrow at Tora.

He glanced down at her, then turned and sat on the end of the bed. She crawled over to him on all fours, pressing her body against his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Something is bothering you.” She whispered to him. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “And I want to make you forget it.”

She ran her fingers over his broad shoulders, then slowly peeled his jacket off. Her fingers brushed across his neck, pulling his hair back over his shoulders, long slender fingers returning to the front of his body as she loosened his tie, pulling it off.

She got off of the bed, kneeling in front of him on her knees, hands rubbing up his chest as she started to work on the top button. She looked up at him deviously, and he looked away from her. Her hands froze on the second button, falling into her lap.

“Okay. What’s going on, Tiger?” She cocked her head to the side. “This is unlike you. Even when you weren’t necessarily into sex with me before, you never acted like this. And don’t lie to me. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

And she would. She knew his lies better than almost anyone that he had met. Tora finally looked at her, meeting her eyes, and told Mizuki,

“I love her.”

Mizuki’s eyebrows shot up at that statement.

“No. Fucking. Way.” She bit out, completely in shock. She sat back, her mouth agape as her brain struggled to understand exactly what he was saying because for Tora to love a girl just didn’t seem possible. 

“For a while, I thought you were gay, and I was just really good at fucking.” Mizuki scoffed, and Tora’s lips turned up into a wry smile at that,

“Join the club.”

“Then. I guess this means I’m not getting laid tonight?” Mizuki pressed. Tora sighed, and said,

“If I have to fuck you to get to her, I’ll do it. I don’t want to, but I will if it means I have a chance to be with her again somehow.”

Mizuki nodded, seriously considering forcing him to fuck her for special permissions. After all, getting Poppy for him wasn’t going to be easy. She knew she could do it, but it was going to take a lot of work on her part, and she deserved something good out of it.

“Fine. We won’t fuck. But you owe me.” She told him, and when he heard that he would be in debt to her, he immediately knew this was not going to be a favor he was going to want to repay.

“Done.” He agreed.

Mizuki rolled her eyes, getting off of her knees and putting her dress back on, grumbling under her breath. Tora managed to catch something about:

“Goddamn rabbit again.”

And

“Always fucking myself.”

He bit back a grin at that, knowing she was effectively sexually frustrated and, admittedly, it felt pretty fucking good that she had blue balls because of him. 

“I’ll be in touch in the next 24 hours. Be ready to come to me when I’m ready.” She barked.

“Yes ma’am.” He purred, grinning at her. She stopped, shooting a lethal glare at him.

“Don’t make me change my mind about fucking you.” She pointed to her eyes and then over at him as if to say, 

“I’m watching you.”

And out she stormed, slamming the door behind her. 

Now, it was just a waiting game.


	22. Initiation and Subjugation

22

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“Get up.” A male voice gruffly called out, tossing a pillow at Poppy’s head. Poppy shot up from the bed she was sleeping in to see a man standing in front of her in a black in black suit at the door of her bed. “Get dressed. Wear something you can move around in.”

He turned on his heel, leaving the room and shutting the door. Poppy was shaken by the fact that someone had made it into her room without her knowing, but she followed instructions, pulling in black yoga pants, a black tank top, and black hiking boots. She braided her hair into a single braid and headed into the living room.

“Today, you’ll be going through self-defense training.” The man told her. “Lets go.”

Poppy followed the man out to the front of the hotel she was staying at. She stopped short for a second, seeing the same team that forced her to end things with Tora, her lips set into a grim line.

“Get in the car.” The watcher said, motioning for her to get inside. Poppy knew she didn’t have much of a choice, so she crawled into the back seat of the black sedan.

*********

Poppy stood in the middle of an empty warehouse, and, from what she could tell, it had been out of commission for a while. The old warehouse groaned and shifted against the wind outside, dust picking up on the old oaken floor.

“There is nothing I like better,” a soft voice echoed through the metal walls of the warehouse. “Than the juxtaposition of pain and pleasure.”

Somewhere in the warehouse, the sound of a piano and a mournful violin began to play, the opening notes of Nocturne No. 20 in C# whispering through the walls. Out of the shadows, twelve men emerged all dawning black suits with black men-yoroi masks. They surrounded Poppy, each of them standing quietly.

“Sink.” She heard a quiet voice say from somewhere in the depths of the warehouse. “Or swim.”

One of the men approached Poppy slowly. Poppy backed away feeling her heart rate picking up as she watched him with wide eyes. She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t a fighter and really had only learned to box a bit with her father before giving that up.

“Try to remember.” Poppy thought, but she was a second too late. A hard jab came at her face that she failed to avoid, and it sent her stumbling into one of the other men, who caught her, pushing her back out to the center of the warehouse floor.

Again, she was met with another brutal jab to the face in the same way that she her sprawling to the floor. Poppy felt the tears streaming down her face. 

“You’re sinking.” She heard the same voice say from somewhere within the warehouse.

One of the other men approached her, picking her up, and backing off into the perimeter. Again, the man went for the same jab, but this time, Poppy dodged it, stumbling off to the side.

All of the men in the room gave a loud grunt and the first man backed off into the shadows. A second man approached Poppy, and this time, he went for a jab, which Poppy blocked, but this time it was followed by a vicious cross to the other side of her face. She was beginning to understand the process. The wheels in her mind were turning as she stumbled back into the group of men. It would be a jab, followed by a cross. She was being tested physically and mentally.

When she was pushed back, she dodged the jab and the cross. Again, the group erupted into a loud grunt as the third man stepped out onto the floor, time slowing down for a moment.

“Arms up.” She heard a voice echo across time. She paused, her head looking around the room for the voice that was calling to her, knowing still it was in her head didn’t stop her from searching for him. She hadn’t heard his voice in so long. 

“Poppy.” The voice echoed across time. “I said get your arms up.”

Suddenly, she was in another place and time. In front of her, the bright lights from the boxing gym cast a shadow over the figure in front of her.

“Dad, the gloves are so heavy.” Poppy whined.

“I know they are, Poppy, but this is important.” She heard him say. Poppy wished she could see his face, remember it; the way he smelled; the way he looked; the way he smiled.

“Fine.” Poppy grumbled, putting her gloves up. Her dad mocked a punch, going toward her, and Poppy felt it gently connect with her hip.

“Watch the punch until the last moment, Pops. Then, turn your elbow to meet it. Squat a little bit and tuck those elbows in closer.” He told her. 

Somewhere across time, the light disappeared. In front of her, time resumed, and the third man approached her. Poppy put her hands up, squatting a bit, elbows close to her body. Jab, cross, and a third jab came down low toward her side. Poppy turned her body, blocking it with her elbow.

“I see she’s finally learning to swim.” A voice called out from the darkness followed by a dark chuckle.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

Alfred headed out into the yard, and it felt like a thousand eyes had turned to look at him. He stopped in the middle of his step, taking in the feeling of immediate attention, and he recoiled from it. Ever since he could remember, Alfred had lived his life in the shadows, never suspect in the games he chose to play. The heat of the spotlight hadn’t once fallen on him, and even when he was arrested, it was because he chose to turn himself in rather than risk exposing himself.

He had controlled everything in his life up to this point, and even when things started to spiral out of control, he still grasped into enough pieces that he could put things back together. Now, there were no pieces left to hold onto.

His eyes flicked over to Kaen, who was speaking to the head of the Triads, both of them glancing over in his direction, and as he looked away, he met Katashi’s eyes two cold, unforgiving pools of amber gazing at him.

“Shit.” He whispered to himself.

“What’s the matter, love?” He heard that Cockney accent ask from behind him. He froze in place, shoulders shrugging up to his ears as Ramsey came around the front of him, his little leprechaun and Mr. Clean in tow. “Suddenly feeling a little exposed?”

Alfred’s heart rate picked up as Ramsey crossed his arms, leaning down in his face, saying,

“How does it feel for everyone here to know what you really are?”

“I’m nothing.” Alfred calmly recanted. “I’m no one.”

“That’s right, bruv.” Ramsey whispered in his face. “Nothing. No one.”

And at that, the leprechaun and Mr. Clean took him by both arms, “Othello,” the novel he had been reading, tumbling to the ground forgotten. Several prisoners flooded to the middle of the yard, where Alfred was thrown to the ground.

Kaen approached the middle, where Alfred was lying on the ground. He squatted down, and Alfred sat up, backing away from him. 

“One’s act,” Kaen whispered. “One’s profit.”

“W—what?” Alfred stammered.

“You reap what you sow.” Kaen told him, then, he pushed himself off of the ground and the other members of the Yakuza surrounded Alfred. 

“Wake from death and return to life.” One of them said, before landing a vicious kick to Alfred’s side.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy hit the ground hard, a barrage of dust and debris flying off of the ground, her arm scraped, splintered, and bleeding from multiple falls. She was exhausted beyond belief, and had no choice but to keep going. She pushed herself up off of the ground, grunting as she did so, her hands flopping up near her face, breath coming quickly, sweat pouring down her face.

The man came at her quickly, fresh because he had only gone after her twice, while she had been through at least a hundred rounds of defense. He aimed a ferocious jab at her face, followed by a cross to the other side, and a punch to the side, all blocked in perfect order. He dropped down low, swiping at her feet, Poppy jumping up high, stumbling backward to avoid a swift kick to the abdomen. He charged forward at her, attempting to grab her around the waist, and she moved out of the way, pushing him past her. He ran into the men on the outside, who pushed him back toward her. Using their speed, he leapt up in the air throwing a jab toward her left ear, which connected because Poppy felt incredibly disoriented.

“Shit. Shit! What number was that?” She stumbled backward, tinnitus in her ear producing a deafening ring. Jab. One. Cross. Two. Swipe. Three. Kick. Four. Grab. Five. Punch. Six. That meant seven was...

Poppy dipped low for a quick jab, followed by a second cross, stumbling backward to avoid a mean uppercut. Nine. That was nine. Poppy scrambled up to her feet, getting off the floor. The man approached her quickly, aiming a another jab, and attempting a palm strike, which narrowly missed Poppy’s nose...although she hadn’t been so lucky the first two times.

The room erupted in a grunt, and suddenly, the eleven men who had first approached her bowed to her, backing out of the room. The echoes of their footsteps on the floor and the slamming of the warehouse door told her that she was alone with the twelfth man. 

“You have learned how to swim, Chisana Hana.” A voice said from somewhere in the warehouse. “But what will you do when the blood is spilled and there are sharks in the water? Will you let them simply consume you? Or will you fight?”

Poppy was purely exhausted. 

“Speak English for ONCE!” Poppy let out an exasperated cry. She sobbed aloud, a cry of exhaustion, pain, and relentless heartache. A dark laughter, like music playing echoed through the warehouse walls.

The tone of the music changed, the opening notes of Thomas Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor signaling a change of pace.

“Show me what you’ve learned. Attack him.” She heard the voice call out. Poppy felt a surge of adrenaline hit her as the man stepped out in the middle of the ring, putting his hands up in a defensive position. She was physically shaking at this point, her body past the point of exhaustion, her emotions past the breaking point.

She let out a strained cry of anger and pain before the adrenaline took over. She aimed a ferocious jab at the mask, the masked face of the man towering over her, followed by a cross to the other side, and a punch to the side of his body. Effortlessly, he blocked each advance of hers, barely moving at all. She dropped down low, swiping at his feet, barely doing any damage to him as her ankles his his and he remained unmoved.

Poppy scrambled up, launching her leg forward for a kick to the abdomen, which he dodged. She used the moment of him being off balance to charge forward at him, attempting to grab him around the waist. Instead, he stopped her, pushing her backwards, sending her stumbling a few feet before she regained her center of gravity. 

Poppy pushed off with her left foot, exerting most of her energy to leap into the air, aiming a swift left jab to the ear, which swiped past him, and, lacking that connection, sent her stumbling behind him yet again.

She growled in frustration, feeling as though she was doing everything right, but missing everything. She launched herself at him ferociously, filling low for a quick jab, followed by a second cross, and ending with a swift uppercut, which her narrowly missed, the knuckles of her fingers swiping just past his face. She retaliated by aiming a quick elbow to the face, which connected, catching him off guard, sending him stumbling backward, and Poppy wasted no time. Angry and compelled by her newfound power, she let out an inhuman shriek and threw herself at the man, aiming a jab to the side of his head, which he blocked, grabbing her wrists, and rolling over top of her, pinning her to the ground.

Poppy struggled furiously, letting out another scream before she simply fell to pieces under the man’s hands, wailing sobs breaking her heart to pieces as she gave way to the flood of emotions coursing through her.

Gently, the man let her hands go, and Poppy covered her face with her hands, which were covered in dirt, grime, and blood. She felt a pair of hands take hers gently, moving them to the side and she looked up at the masked man, confusion running across her face. He reached up, releasing the strap on the mask and pulling it off his face.

Poppy’s hands flew up to her mouth, and she sobbed,

“Oh my god.”

Rough, calloused hands reached down to her hands, holding them, golden eyes peering down into hers in concern, a flood of emotions reaching them.

“You can’t be here.” She sobbed, struggling to get up. “You have to leave.”

“Why?” He whispered to her, his heart breaking as she tried again to push him away.

“They’re going to kill you, Tora.” Poppy was frantic, sitting up, trying to push him off of her. His mouth pressed into a grim line and he shook his head,

“No one’s going to kill me.”

“Please just—“ but before she could finish, he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest, her tears soaking into his jacket. She reached up, hands shaking, clutching his jacket.

“It’s going to be okay.” He told her.

“But—those things I said to you. I thought you—“

“Did you really think I’d let you go without a fight?” He pulled back, giving Poppy space to wriggle out from beneath him. She tucked her legs beneath her, sitting on her knees. He reached out, touching her face, and, with a shaking hand, she reached up, touching his hand, leaning into his touch.

“I didn’t know.” She shrugged, laughing a little through her tears. She paused for a second, the two of them looking at each other. “I just keep replaying one part of it all in my mind over and over again.”

He looked at her questioningly, and she looked down at her hands, scoffing a little, before going on,

“You said, ‘Poppy, I love you.’”

Tora’s gaze softened a little, and she struggled to meet his eyes after saying that. He took her chin gently, lifting her head up to meet his eyes, and he said,

“Because I do.”

And suddenly, just like that, all the pain, the tears, the heartache that Poppy had been experiencing all of this time just seemed to evaporate. His mouth curved into a small smile, and he told her,

“Why else would I go to the Yamamoto Clan to find a way to see you?”

She nodded, her cheeks flushing a little.

“I could say the same.” Poppy told him.

“What do you mean?” Tora furrowed his brow. Poppy paused for a moment, then looked into his eyes again, asking,

“Why else would I join a gang?”

He let out a breath of relief, smiling and looking away from her before he told her,

“I wanna hear you say it.”

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, catching him off guard as she crawled into his lap. Instinctively, his hands met her waist, holding her in place, before he wrapped his arms around her body. She sat up straight, looking down at him with those big beautiful brown eyes, and he was done for as a man. He knew right in that moment that he would do anything for her; drop everything for her; be anything to her no matter what it meant for him. She was this angelic anomaly to him sitting beneath the soft beams of the warehouse lights, dust particles lazily dancing in the light behind her head like a halo.

“I love you.” She told him, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled her down, this little hamster of a girl who possessed his entire being in the palm of her hand; this tiny little woman that he found himself absolutely powerless against, and he kissed her.


	23. Persuasion

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

Alfred’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up, gasping for breath. His body was broken down and bleeding, but numbed by the pain medicine the infirmary had given him. He strained to see into the dimly lit room, both eyes swollen shut, searching for someone, anyone, and, finding no one, lay back down in bed.

An intense heat; a burning hatred filled his body. Alfred had never been one who was prone to strong emotions, preferring to live his life without them because it suited his cause better, but then again, at this point, there was nothing left of Alfred’s life that remained the same as before. He was alone in his cause.

He reached out to the nightstand, his hand knocking into a glass of water before it bumped into something hard. He felt the object with his hands, the hard cover of the book under his fingertips. In a shaking voice, he hissed,

“Yield up, O love, thy crown and  
hearted throne  
To tyrannous hate.”

Somewhere in the darkness the ticking of a clock on the wall counted the seconds, a deafening blast of the ticking nearly driving him insane. He rolled over in bed, putting the pillow over his head trying to drown out the incessant tick tick ticking of the clock. Tick tick ticking of the fucking clock on the wall. 

Alfred shouted out, screaming against the noise, the noise, the incessant noise, screaming,

“Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself and what remains is bestial.”

He writhed in the bed, the anger and hatred eating away at his soul, unable to cope with such a strong emotion hitting him all at once, unable to shake it or slow it or control it. 

Quickly, a nurse approached him, trying to call him, and he threw the sheets off of his body, sending the nurse flying away from him, needle in his hand. Alfred flew out of the bed, grabbing the needle out of the nurse’s neck and stabbing him in the neck, injecting the nurse with the sedative. From there, he snatched the nurse’s keys, hobbling toward the exit.

**********  
Present Day  
*********  
Tora glanced over at Poppy in the passenger’s seat of his car, her face still marred from the fighting. Even though her eyes were closed, he knew she was still awake.

“Where did ya learn to block like that?” He asked her, his voice quietly chasing the silence away. Poppy opened her eyes as much as she could, glancing over at him,

“When I was younger, I got picked on a lot for being smaller. My dad wanted to try to help me overcome that fear of confrontation, so he started teaching me how to box. It—never really took.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Tora told her, reaching for her hand and holding it gently, knowing she was probably in pain from the fight. “May be a little rusty, but the basics are still there.”

“How did you figure out where I was?” Poppy asked, still looking over in his direction.

“I found the invitation in ya car.” He told her. Poppy’s eyes widened a fraction. 

“Why did you search my car to begin with?” Poppy asked. “Why didn’t you just let me go?”

Tora looked over at her, a look of confusion crossing his face as Poppy turned away from him, looking out the window.

“Why would I ever do that?” He told her. “And is it was true and that was really what you wanted, I wanted to hear it come from you—especially after I figured out that you were forced to say those things to me.”

Her head snapped over to him.

“Yeah,” he told her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “I saw the sniper and the watcher. I know about everything.”

“Then how did you get to me? I’m not dumb enough to believe that they would just invite you in.” Poppy said.

“I know Mizuki, Yamamoto’s daughter. I—struck a deal with her.” He explained.

“And what exactly did this deal entail?” Poppy narrowed her eyes.

“I owe her a favor. In return, she lets me see you.” Tora told her.

“What kind of favor?” Poppy asked. Tora was quiet for a moment.

“Any kind.” He explained, and Poppy closed her eyes at that statement. She didn’t exactly know a lot about the mafia, but she knew that owing them never meant anything good. Poppy found herself deep in thought the rest of the way to the hotel they were staying in, and that worried Tora a little.

*********

Poppy and Tora stood staring at each other, a tense moment passing between the two of them in the bedroom of the hotel room. Something about her wasn’t quite right, and he knew that everything for her had changed when the first thing she did when she walked in was to close any and all blinds and curtains in the room.

She finally spoke.

“You shouldn’t have come for me.” Poppy told him. “You’ll never be free from them now.”

Tora looked at her incredulously and said,

“I’ve never been free, Poppy.”

And something about that statement chilled her to the bone. She felt like she couldn’t look at him for some reason as he said that. Tora look a step toward Poppy, and she stood, motionlessly. He kept moving toward her, and Poppy found herself crawling backward on the bed. He put one knee on the bed, crawling toward her as she reached the pillows on the bed.

“You don’t want me here?” He whispered, leaning down, his lips brushing over her neck. “I’ll get the fuck out.”

Poppy found herself reaching up, running her hands over his chest, fingers working on his tie and his shirt. Tora’s fingers skated over her hips, moving over the outer hips and squeezing gently against, and that was enough to get Poppy completely worked up.

“No.” She told him. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“Then, what do you want, Poppy?” He growled, his hands moving up her body. “Because ya making me feel like it’s not me.”

“I want,” she whispered, leaning up toward his ear, nibbling on the lobe, “to take a shower.”

And just like that, she moved off of the bed, and Tora groaned aloud at that. She pulled off her black sweater, heading around the bed before sitting down on the end of the bed to peel her leggings and panties off. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, lips on her shoulders, pulling all the strands of hair back that had fallen out and gently pulling out the hair tie at the bottom of her braid. He gently unfurled her braid, her hair falling in waves down her back.

“A little help with the clasp?” Poppy grinned, looking over her shoulder at him with a devious smile. He ran his hands over her back, taking her bra strap and snapping it on her shoulder before he took the clasp apart, pulling those straps over her shoulders, the bra falling uselessly to the floor. 

“Thanks.” She smiled getting off the bed and heading into the bathroom. Tora was ready to get down on his hands and knees and worship her body because good lord she was gorgeous, and something about her screamed confidence. He put his head down on the bed, grasping the comforter furiously and groaning into the bed again.

“Tora?” Poppy called from the bathroom, and his head popped up off of the bed to look at her. “Are you going to make me shower alone?”

“Holy shit!” His mind screamed. “She wants me in there with her.”

He sat frozen, and she arched a brow at him. He scrambled off of the bed, tearing his clothes off as he rushed to join her in the shower.

*********  
7 Years Ago  
*********

The rain was falling in torrents outside of the state penitentiary. The gate slid open with a shrill shriek as a flash of lightning split across the night sky, lighting it up and a boom of thunder rumbled through Narin City. Orange lighting lit the way out of the state penitentiary as the clip clop of heavy feet, dragging out of the prison gate.

Alfred stood at the prison gate as a black Bentley pulled up outside. The driver of the car got out of the car, a black umbrella appearing above the driver’s side door as he moved around the outside of the car, opening up the back door for him. Alfred slid inside the car, the door shutting behind him.

“I see things didn’t go according to plan.” The man said, glancing out the window. Alfred said nothing, turning away from the man to glance out at the pouring rain, the prison disappearing into the background as the car drove away.

“And now, he’s in there alone.” Alfred could tell the man was losing his patience. He realized that the entire time he had spoken to the man, he had never really imagined what his face would look like. Alfred thought back to their phone conversations. He had a deep voice, husky almost. He was articulate and cold. As Alfred looked at him, with his well coiffed blonde hair and his designer suit, he supposed this was someone he could see being dressed as he was.

“He’s far from alone.” Alfred told him.

“That is what I’m worried about.” The man told him. “He’s malleable. Able to be turned against me. It was your one and only job to ensure he stayed in the right track.”

“Why is he so important to you?” Alfred asked, feeling slightly annoyed that the heat was landing on him, particularly because he had just had the shit beat out of him and had somehow made it through the prison without being caught and even made it out.

“His importance is not of concern to you. My concern now is what to do—with you.” He heard the man say. Alfred glanced over at the man, who looked out the window, deep in thought, his knuckle coming up to his lips as his mind ran through all of his options.

“I’d like to think that I can be very persuasive.” Alfred told him. The man nodded.

“Yes.” The man agreed. “Yes, you can.”


	24. Decisions, Decisions

24

*********  
5 Years Ago  
*********

“Did you see the news?”

Poppy glanced up from her reading to stare at Lilibet, who was holding a newspaper in her hand. Lilibet shoved the newspaper in Poppy’s face, a picture of Katashi on the page. Poppy eyed the picture and then glared you at Lilibet, and sighed,

“Why would I care about that?”

Lilibet rolled her eyes and spat,

“Originally imprisoned for conspiracy to commit murder, the nineteen-year-old, who only goes by the name Katashi, has just been released from prison on parole. Katashi, who was represented by powerhouse lawyer,  
Bennett Eberwine, is currently out on probation and will be working for the Balthuman Organization in order to meet his community service needs.”

Poppy continued reading beneath the cherry blossom tree, a cool exterior on the outside, but on the inside, she felt like she was on fire. More than anything, she wanted to drop all of her things, show up at the Balthuman Organization offices and scream in his face for the things he had done and said to her, but she wondered if that would even do any good at that point. He probably didn’t even remember her.

“Hey. Poppy.” 

Lilibet narrowed her eyes seeing the boy with the short, spiky brown hair heading her way. 

“Poppy is busy right now.” Lilibet growled, stepping in front of Poppy, who rolled her eyes.

“Right. You ready to go home?” Julri asked, leaning around Lilibet to speak to Poppy.

“Back off, Lili.” Poppy sighed, standing up and collecting her things. Lilibet crossed her arms, stepping out of the way. Julri held his hand out for Poppy to take, and Poppy slung her backpack over her shoulder, taking it. As they were just out of earshot of Lilibet, Julri asked,

“Why does Lilibet hate me so much?”

Poppy shrugged her shoulders, debating whether or not to tell him about the rumors circulating around the school that he was caught in the locker room with his hand up another girl’s shirt.

“She’s just protective of me.” Poppy answered.

“Why? You’re not a child.” Julri spat petulantly. Poppy flexed her hand, letting go of Julri’s, and he paused, crossing his arms.

“Is it true? What they’re saying about you and Aiko?” Poppy clenched her fists together, staring at the ground.

“Come on, Poppy. You know Aiko’s had a thing for me forever. She would say anything to get you to break up with me so she could take her shot.” Julri smoothly smiled, running the back of his hand over her shoulder and down her arm. Poppy nodded. He had never given her any reason to believe he was unfaithful, and Aiko really had been obsessed with him for as long as she could remember.

“You’re right.” Poppy admitted. 

“Alright. Let’s go home.” Julri smiled.

“Actually, I think I want to walk home today. I’ve been sitting do much. My legs could use a stretch.” Poppy smiled faintly.

“Right. Gotta keep that weight off for summer, am I right?” He nudged her. Poppy scoffed at that, shaking her head.

“Right.” She nodded, pulling at her backpack straps and heading toward her grandmother’s house.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Tora gently took a wash cloth, kneeling down in front of Poppy, who sat on the shower bench, dabbing at the dirt and dried blood on her face. Poppy winced against the pain, sucking in a sharp breath as he gingerly cleaned her face.

“I have to be honest with ya.” Tora smiled, wringing out the wash cloth before moving on to clean other parts of her face. “I didn’t think you could take a hit like ya did. I was pretty impressed.”

“Thanks.” Poppy grumbled.

“I mean, I definitely knew you could hit. Ya nearly broke my nose the first time ya ate dinner with me.” He said and Poppy broke out into a full grin before that smile faded away.

“What do we do now?” Poppy asked him. Tora paused for a moment, looking up at her.

“Did ya mean what you said? About wanting to end things? Was that real?” He asked her, feeling his heart sink at the look in her eyes.

“I don’t know how we could be together.” She told him. “If they catch you, Tora. That’s it.”

“Do you know what I do?” Tora asked suddenly. Poppy shook her head. “I’m an enforcer, Poppy. It’s my job to take people down.”

Poppy nodded.

“So if ya think I’m afraid of the Yamamoto organization coming for me, I’m not.” He explained to her.

“But I did this for you. To protect you, for once. Instead of you running around and running yourself into the ground to protect me.” She told him.

“Then, why end this? Because if you did, it would’ve been all for nothing.” He told her, and that hit Poppy hard. It wasn’t something she had really considered. If they really had just broken up, her joining the Yamamoto organization really would have been for nothing.

“It’s going to get us killed.” Poppy pushed back. 

“No,” Tora grumbled. “It’s gonna to get anyone who stands in our way killed.”

Poppy shivered at that. When someone ever mentioned having a ride or die, she never thought that, in her life, her ride or die would be taken so literally. She was willing to get herself killed for him, and he was willing to kill and be killed for her.

“And what if that someone standing in our way was from your own organization?” Poppy pressed. “Would you pull the trigger then?”

Tora dropped the wash cloth on the ground, lifting Poppy up onto his waist much to her surprise. She glanced down into his eyes, and his eyes stared point blank back into hers. He leaned in, just inches away from her lips and said,

“In a heartbeat.”

And in his entire life, he had never felt as fierce a loyalty as he had to her. There was no question in his mind as to whether or not he would kill for her. The answer was yes, and if that meant putting down his own men, he wouldn’t hesitate.

“Then,” Poppy was breathless hearing him say that to her. “I have nothing else I can say.”

“Be clear.” Tora implored her. “Please.”

“How could I possibly leave?” Poppy asked him. “I joined this organization for you. I knew what I was doing, and I had at least some idea of what I was getting myself into. And I did it because...because...”

“Because?” Tora brushed his fingers across her face, feeling like his heart might explode, waiting for her to say what he desperately wanted to hear.

“Because I love you.” 

*********  
5 Years Ago  
*********  
Katashi sat silently in Vincent’s office, wondering what the hell he was in trouble for this time. Usually when Vincent called him up in the middle of the night, it was because he had fucked something up somehow somewhere, and he was either being physically punished for it or sent to clean up whatever mess he had inadvertently or purposely made. 

Tonight, though, he wracked his brain trying to figure out what he had done that he would be in trouble for. He had completed the drug deals Vincent had sent him on, and they had gone off without a hitch; he had roughed up a few thugs from rival gangs trying to encroach on Balthuman territory, and they had left without problems; hell, he had even found a little extra business for Vincent today while on one of Vincent’s liquor runs. So what the fuck was it?

The door opened quietly, and Katashi stiffened up. 

“Well,” the voice he heard sent a chill straight up his spine. “If it isn’t Tora himself.”

“Alfred.” Katashi grumbled a frosty greeting his way.

“I thought it was time to put your differences aside.” He heard Vincent tell him, entering shortly after Alfred. “It’s been two years now. I can’t have this volatility in the business. It’s not good for anyone.”

“I wasn’t even aware Alfred was part of the organization.” Katashi watched Vincent head to his desk and sit down, Alfred floating like a ghost next to Katashi, seating himself silently in the chair next to him.

“He’s been here longer than you have, boy.” Vincent shrugged. Katashi glared over in Alfred’s direction, wondering what good having a manipulative freak like Alfred would do for Vincent, and secretly hating him for garnering more of Vincent’s approval than he did.

“I’m on the business side of things.” Alfred quietly told Katashi, and he could feel Alfred studying him again, watching for body language and physical cues, a lab rat under the scrutiny of his gaze.

“You must be wondering why you’re here tonight.” Vincent sat forward at him desk, clasping his hands together. “It’s time you properly be initiated into our organization.”

Katashi felt his heart flutter hearing Vincent tell him this. 

“What does that mean?” Katashi’s voice was breathless, a mix of nerves and excitement.

“Your loyalty to me has been called into question on a few occasions. It’s time you prove yourself to me.” Vincent told him. 

“I am loyal to you.” Katashi told him. Vincent nodded, a sinister twinkle passing over his eyes,

“Then, your task should be no issue. Alfred will take you to your initiation. It’s a simple task. Once completed, you are initiated.”

“When do we leave?” Katashi asked, and Vincent smiled in response.

*********

Alfred opened Katashi’s car door for him, and Katashi slid out of the passenger’s seat, staring up at the Welcome Center. For as long as he had known, this place was legendary in the Balthuman Organization for its brutal initiations, and his nerves made him question if he was actually ready for what waited for him beyond the doors.

“Follow me.” Alfred stalked past him, opening the door to the Welcome Center and leading him to the center of a vast warehouse where a bright light shone down on the center of the floor.

“Wait here.” Alfred instructed, disappearing and reappearing with a bound and hooded person in tow. Alfred kicked the knees of the person in front of him, and that person fell to the ground.

“Being a part of the Balthuman Organization is about respecting the legacy of the organization and committing yourself to its familial ties. As such, those who oppose or would seek to drive a wedge between family members must be dealt with accordingly. Tonight, you are asked to sever your ties with one who created enough tension within your family.” 

Alfred pulled the hood off of the person, and Katashi’s eyes widened. Before him, on his knees, sat Kaen, quietly looking up at him. Alfred produced a golden pistol, handing it to Katashi, who fumbled with the gun at first.

“Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose  
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,  
And in the calmest and most stillest night,” Alfred circled Katashi like a vulture as Katashi’s heart rate sped up, listening to Alfred spit this gibberish to him, not understanding what the fuck he was even saying, not wanting to believe the task he was being asked to complete.

“With all appliances and means to boot,  
Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!” Alfred shouted into the warehouse, his voice echoing off of the walls, making Katashi jump. Alfred cocked his head to the side, his wide, crazed eyes boring into Katashi’s own before a smile spread slowly across his lips. Alfred made his way around Katashi, stopping just behind him. 

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” Alfred enunciated each syllable through seething teeth. Katashi shook his head, a lump rising in his throat as he stared in disbelief at Kaen. 

“Sever your ties with this malicious instigator.” Alfred told him, leaning over his shoulder to whisper into his ear. “Kill him.”


	25. A Life for a Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING
> 
> Hey guys. This chapter does contain suicide in it. While there are no real descriptions and the scene stops before descriptions could be had, I still wanted to warn you. I have added it as a tag.
> 
> I also wanted to note that I have removed the Rape/Non-Con tag. Someone asked about it in an earlier chapter, and I wanted to note that I will NOT be including a scene like that in this story. There will be some instances that may be close, but I will not let it go past simply “close.”
> 
> I hope you’re all doing well!

25

**********  
Present Day  
**********

Tora stared out across the street at the Hirohito Hotel all aglow as twilight began to set in in the sky behind it. His attention turned to Poppy, who was leaning against the passenger window. He squeezed her hand, and she turned to look at him. When he looked at her, he expected to see panic or fear on her face or maybe even a little worry. Instead, she was calm, collected as she stared back at him and seeing that made him feel a little more at ease.

“I wish I could stay.” Poppy told him softly, bringing his hand to her lips and kissing it. 

“I know.” He told her. She nodded, reaching for the door handle, not wanting to prolong their goodbye any longer than she had to. All in one quick movement, Tora unbuckled his seatbelt, lifted up the center console, gently pulled on her arm, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

“Tora.” She said his name in shock, her heart absolutely melting as he held her there.

“Promise me something.” He said, holding her a little tighter.

“Anything.” Poppy smiled, nuzzling into his neck.

“Promise me you’ll stay alive and come back to me.” He told her. 

“I promise.” Poppy smiled. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Ya can’t expect me not to.” He told her. “I’ll always worry about ya.”

Poppy leaned back, reaching up and planting a kiss on her cheek, before he turned his face, kissing her full on. When she leaned back, she could see the look of concern on his face, and even though inside, she was terrified, she smiled at him, laughing a little even, and told him,

“I’m going to be fine.”

She pushed the door open, and he felt her slip gently through his fingers as she closed the door, leaning down with a smile and waving at him. Then, she turned on her heel, walking away from him, feeling her heart break a step at a time.

Tora saw them coming well before Poppy did, and all he could do was watch it happen. He knew this life well enough to know that initiation was brutal for any organization, and Poppy’s wasn’t finished yet.

He gripped the steering wheel hard, gritting his teeth and watched a group of men dressed all in black grab her and take her down to the ground. Before they covered her head with a black bag, he studied Poppy’s face carefully. She was calm, accepting the brutality as it happened, not struggling against them, but allowing them to take her down. Her eyes were locked on his, and he saw a brief grimace of pain before she nodded at him with a gentle smile and her face disappeared under a black bag.

*********  
5 Years Earlier  
*********

“Kill him.” Alfred whispered into Katashi’s ear. Katashi felt himself shaking, his whole body and mind shutting down to this idea, and he shook his head.

“No.” Katashi growled.

“Where is your loyalty?” Alfred seethed back, pushing him from behind, Katashi falling down to the ground.

“I’ve been fucking loyal to Vincent Balthuman my whole life.” Katashi hissed. “I shouldn’t have to kill my friend to prove that.”

“Your friend?” Alfred laughed. “He is a rival from an organization that has stolen from us for years. How could he be your friend?”

“Kaen is not the entire organization. He is one man.” Katashi pressed back.

“All it takes is one spark to ignite the wildfire that burns the entire forest down.” Alfred told him.

“Tora.” Kaen’s voice was quiet. Katashi turned toward him, kneeling down in front of him.

“I don’t want this.” Katashi told him.

“I know you don’t.” Kaen told him. “You have been a loyal friend to me since I have known you. I know this isn’t your doing—but this is your livelihood on the line.”

“I can prove myself in other ways.” Katashi told him, reaching around Kaen’s back to untie him.

“You don’t get to make that decision.” Kaen shook his head, putting his hand on Katashi’s shoulder. “This is your one and only shot—your initiation. It’s not meant to be easy.”

“I don’t care. I’m not doing this.” Katashi told him.

“No, I can see that you won’t.” Kaen told him. The two of them stood up together, and just as Katashi was turning to refuse again, Kaen grabbed them golden pistol, shoving Katashi back out of the way.

“What are you doing?” Katashi felt himself panicking. Kaen put the pistol to his head.

“You deserve a chance to make your own way, Tora.” Kaen explained. “I’ve had my shot, and I’ve done my time. I did everything I could the way that I wanted to do it. Now, it’s your turn.”

Kaen cocked the pistol.

“Don’t!” Katashi shouted, the lump in his throat rising. He started to go after Kaen, but found himself held back by Alfred. 

“Be something better.” Kaen told him. “Be better than I was.”

And he pulled the trigger.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

When the bag came off, Poppy winced against the bright light she was under. In front of her, sat the patriarch himself shrouded in shadow, two armed men on other side of him in dark suits, sitting back in the shadows.

“Welcome back, Poppylan.” His voice was croaky, old. It seemed like he was a man who had been head of the organization for much longer than Poppylan had likely been alive. Poppylan squinted, seeing a smaller shadow moving in behind Yamamoto—a woman that she didn’t recognize.

“Sir.” Poppylan quietly acknowledged him.

“I understand you were indirectly responsible for the death of one of my lieutenants.” He wasted no time cutting to the chase. Poppy looked down at the floor.

“I saw the shooter on the roof and warned the others.” Poppy admitted. Yamamoto was quiet for a while, before he said,

“I admire your—tenacity—telling the truth when you know the truth could get you killed.”

Poppy nodded in thanks before Yamamoto continued,

“My daughter tells me you’ve been—running around with a member of another clan.” 

Poppy cast a sharp glance in Yamamoto’s direction. She saw the shadow of the woman cross her arms.

“Yes, sir.” Poppy admitted. “A member of the Balthuman Clan.”

Yamamoto nodded, considering what she was saying.

“Then, I am curious as to what you’re doing being initiated into my clan.” Yamamoto pondered aloud. Poppy felt a stab of uneasiness coursing through her body. She knew the reason she was originally here was to spy for Balthuman, but in truth, for her, it was more about saving Tora and Quincey. Being a part of this organization wouldn’t afford her the chance to spy because she knew they would be onto her before she ever had a chance to pass any information along.

“Sir, your clan was trying to kill me, my partner, and my partner’s charge.” Poppy told him. “I wanted to find a way to stop that from happening—a protection of a sort.”

“And what if I tell you that the only way to stop me from killing you is to kill your partner?” Yamamoto inquired. Poppy’s eyes darkened at that, and she looked directly where Yamamoto’s eyes would be if she could see them, and said,

“Then I would ask you to go ahead and put a bullet in me.”

The full weight and gravity of what she had said crashed down on her like a ton of bricks. She knew that having said that meant that she had just signed her own death. A dark chuckle erupted from Yamamoto‘a throat.

“Very well, then.” He said. She saw him lean to the side, pulling something out of his jacket, holding it into the light: an intricate pistol with a mother of pearl handle and a silver handle. “You want him to live? A life for a life. I’m going to require your life.”

Poppy took the pistol in her hands, feeling a sickness spreading through her body. Her hands started to shake; not because she doubted her decision, but because death was on her doorstep, and although she knew what she had damned herself to, that didn’t make it any less terrifying.

“I’m sorry I can’t keep my promise.” Poppy thought to herself, thinking back on what she said to him in the car and all at once, every memory of him came flooding back. The way he looked when he smiled at her or worse, when he frowned. The look on his face when she said his love wasn’t enough or even better, when she finally told him she loved him. The way his arms felt around her body and the way his body felt in her arms. The way he moved when he made love to her and the way it felt to touch him. The small moments in the early morning hours when he slept, and she got to lay in his arms, seeing him at peace. 

Yeah. It’s worth it. He’s worth it.

“Better do it like a bandaid.” Poppy took a deep breath, put the pistol up to her temple and pulled the trigger.


	26. The Favor

26

*********  
5 Years Ago  
*********

Katashi was silent on the way back to Vincent Balthuman’s office, and for once, Alfred had no interest in pushing him any further, knowing full well that he may just push him over the edge if he tried anything at that moment.

“This is your fault.” Katashi sighed. Alfred glanced over at Katashi, and then looked back at the road.

“I didn’t pull the trigger.” Alfred quietly reminded him.

“Maybe not directly,” Katashi hissed, “but you were the one keeping tabs on me all this time. You fed Vincent this information.”

“And you were warned not to get involved with other clans. Your task was to make connections, not to become a Yakuza informant.” Alfred explained.

“In-fucking-formant? What the fuck are you talking about?” Katashi turned a sharp glance at Alfred.

“I’m talking about your loyalty to Kaen. How far would you have gone for him, Katashi? Judging by his manner of death, I’d say it was far enough to warrant killing himself for you.” Alfred shrugged.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Katashi scoffed. “I was loyal to him because he was the only fucking real friend that I had.”

And as soon as that last sentence was out of his mouth, he wished he could take the words and shove them back in because they made him look and sound like a child. A strange silence fell between the two of them.

“Hell is empty,” Alfred quietly said. “All the devils are here.”

“Oh stop with your stupid Shakespearean bullshit.” Katashi spat petulantly.

“I’m shocked you know it’s Shakespearean.” Alfred taunted him, and Katashi cast a sharp glance Alfred’s direction.

“Hear me when I say this, Alfred:” Katashi hissed, “It may not be now or anytime soon, but when the time comes, it’s going to be me that fucking kills you, and I will watch with nothing but sheer pleasure when the light drains from your fucking eyes.”

A wry smile spread across Alfred’s face, and he grinned,

“So passionate, Katashi.”

“No,” Katashi growled. “No, you don’t get to use my formal name anymore. You killed what was left of the kid I was in prison.”

Alfred glanced over in Katashi’s direction, and said,

“Very well then. What should I call you?”

Katashi paused for a moment, glancing out the window with a heavy heart. 

“Tora.” He said, looking at the street lights passing by, illuminating the tears that silently slid down his face. “You can call me Tora.”

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“I must say,” Tora put the phone close to his ear, listening to Mizuki talk, “your girl is a lot more loyal than I gave her credit for.”

Tora’s stomach dropped for a moment. She was baiting him, and he knew it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tora sighed. “Seriously, Mizuki, ya testing my patience, and if you—“

He heard his phone ping with a text message, and he pulled the phone away from his ear to look at a the picture Mizuki sent him, and he felt a sharp horror grip his heart.

“What—the fuck—did you do?” He growled, staring at Poppy holding a pistol to her temple, looking directly at the camera.

“It was never our agreement that I wouldn’t tell my father what I’ve been up to.” Mizuki told him. “Needless to say, he wasn’t all that convinced that your dear Poppylan would be the best fit for our organization.”

“For your sake,” Tora’s voice was low, menacing, “and for the sake of the rest of your organization, if Poppylan Wilkes is dead, I will burn your organization to the fucking ground.”

“Oh. Threats, Tora? Is that what our relationship has come to?” Mizuki chuckled. 

“Mizuki,” he said her name as a warning, barely containing his anger. 

“I believe I’m owed a favor.” Mizuki said. “I’m cashing in on that now. Meet me at Yamamoto Bar at 10:00.”

And at that, the line went dead. Tora clenched his hand into a tight fist, whirling and aiming a mean jab at the wall, hitting at it over and over again until his fist began to bleed.

“No. No way.” He paced around the room. His stomach was in knots, nauseated. He leaned over, putting his head down, breathing in through his nose, putting his hands on his knees. “No fucking way. She’s not dead. She’s not dead. Mizuki’s baiting me.”

But that dark feeling in the back of his mind that Poppy was gone just kept creeping back to him, and it’s that singular thought that he was sure would drive him insane.

He sat down on his bed, head in his hands.

“She promised me.” He told himself. He glanced at the clock on his cell phone, and, unable to wait around any longer, he shot up off of the bed again, yanking his jacket off of his chair and heading out the door.

*********

Tora stood like a shadow near the hallway to the restrooms just within eyesight of Mizuki, staring her down. Mizuki, feeling his hardened gaze on her, looked up, her gaze scanning the room until she settled on him. Her lips curled into a devious smile, eyes narrowing, as she rose from her seat, tight red latex bodycon dress hugging her curves as she sauntered toward the hallway in her sky high red stilettos.

Tora waited until she was close to him before he took her by her arm, slamming her against the wall, arm up near her throat. 

“You wanna get yourself killed? Be my guest, Romeo.” Mizuki choked out, her eyes flicking to the man who he seemingly appeared out of nowhere and was holding a pistol to Tora’s head. Tora stayed as he was for a moment, before releasing Mizuki with a sneer. Mizuki nodded to the man behind Tora, and the man walked away.

Tora put his hands on his hips, pacing for a moment before he figured he might as well just put himself out of his misery and ask,

“Is she dead?”

“So curious about that sweet little lapdog.” Mizuki studied his face for tells, her high ponytail falling over her shoulder as she cocked her head to the side. 

“Is she?” Tora presses.

“I thought she was just important to your organization. I didn’t realize it was you who she was important to.” Mizuki smiled. “Such a shame.”

“Such—a shame?” Tora pushed out, barely controlling his anger.

“I’m here to cash in my favor.” Mizuki told him, avoiding the question. 

“No. Not until you tell me what I need to know.” Tora wanted to wrap his hands around her throat and force the information out of her little body. Mizuki wriggled her finger in his face and teased,

“You don’t get to make that decision. You want information. I want my favor.” 

“You fucking—“ Tora seethed.

“Careful.” Mizuki sharply warned. “I may like you, but I don’t like you enough to allow you to continue to insult me. Choose your words carefully.”

“What do you want?” Tora sighed, realizing that she was a box locked tight.

“I want your brother.” Mizuki told him, and Tora snorted at that, a wry smile spreading across his face.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “You and me both.”

But Mizuki wasn’t smiling. 

“Find your brother and bring him to me.” Mizuki told him.

“That is an impossible task.” Tora growled. “He’s a ghost. If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be.”

“Make it possible.” Mizuki told him, she looked at him for a second longer, his eyes softening before starting to walk by him. Tora caught her arm, and she looked up at him.

“Please,” his voice was pained, soft. “Tell me she’s alive.”

Her eyes studied him carefully, a cold recognition cracking through her heart. She shrugged his hand off, putting her thumb and forefinger on his chin, getting him to look at her, before she whispered,

“Find him.”

And walked away.

*********  
4 Years Ago  
*********

Tora sat in a little coffee shop, staring out the window at the storm that was raging on in the early morning hours. He caught sight of his reflection—he looked exhausted, worn down, like he hadn’t slept in days, which he hadn’t.

He lifted a mug of espresso and cream to his lips, and rubbed his eyes with his hand. When he opened his eyes again, a figure was sitting in front of him.

“Ya look like shit.” He said, and Tora raised his eyebrows, responding,

“Thanks, asshole.”

Goliath beamed, Aced hands pushing his blue hair back, golden eyes studying Tora as he spoke.

“It’s been a while.” Goliath’s grin faded. Tora looked at him, dark circles exacerbating those golden eyes.

“Vincent knows.” Tora told him. Goliath sat back, crossing his arms.

“I wanted him to know.” Goliath told him.

“You’re playing with fire, Goliath. Ya gonna get yourself killed.” Tora grumbled, rubbing his head. “Open ya eyes, man.”

“For once, my eyes are wide open, Tora.” Goliath sneered. “Bro, what he did to you—what he’s still doing to you. How could I pledge my loyalty to Vincent?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tora quietly told him.

“Right. Let’s pretend he didn’t beat the shit out of you as a kid or imprison you in that fucking cell. Let’s just forget that he made you kill Kaen to ‘prove’ yourself to him or, shit, frame you for murder so that you’d spend a few years in jail in order to ‘make connections’ for him.” Goliath spat. Tora looked away from Goliath, squeezing his eyes shut before asking,

“So then, what? You just double dip between organizations and expect everything to be okay?”

“No. I’m done with Vincent.” Goliath told him. 

“You know Vincent’s not gonna just let you walk away.” Tora set his espresso down. “He won’t stop. He won’t rest until you’re dead.”

“Yamamoto won’t allow that to happen to me.” Goliath told Tora.

“You’re naive if you think Yamamoto even has a chance against Balthuman.” Tora sighed. “We both know Balthuman has ties across the city. The organization runs deep. You know that.”

“Say what you want. It doesn’t change anything.” Goliath sighed. Tora shook his head.

“You need to get out of the city. Disappear.” Tora said. Goliath nodded, standing from his seat.

“Then, I guess this is it for us?” Goliath forced a smile. Tora hated goodbyes more than anyone—probably because he had had to say goodbye too many times to count in his life.

“Yeah. I guess so.” Tora sighed, watching Goliath as he pushed the chair in. He turned to leave, paused, and turned back to Tora, saying,

“You can’t let him keep taking things from you, Tora. When are you going to draw the line? What’s it going to take for you to finally put your foot down and say enough is enough?”

Tora said nothing, taking in what he was saying. What would it take? There was nothing in his life that was necessarily sacred to him anymore. He hadn’t allowed anything or anyone to get that close to him.

“I’ll let you know when I know.” Tora smiled. 

Goliath shook his head, smiling and putting his hand up to wave goodbye, and then he disappeared into the evening storm.

Tora put his finger up to his lips, swallowing back whatever strange emotion was causing a lump to rise in his throat.

The jingling of the door caught Tora’s attention as he glanced over in the direction of the door. A pink strawberry umbrella unfolded, shaking out the rain, reddish brown hair appearing above the umbrella before it closed, and good lord, he nearly had a heart attack staring at her.

He scrambled to pick up the drink menu, putting it in front of his face, but she seemed oblivious to him. Her big, brown eyes glanced up, and he swore she was looking at him, but rather, she seemed to be looking through him. She sighed heavily, tucking a long wavy strand of her hair behind her ear. 

How long had it been since he’d seen her? Two years? Three years? She had changed so much. His eyes slid over her hourglass body, smooth curves in a cream colored sweater dress. He felt a fire ignite in him looking at how her body had...developed, and his mouth went dry.

“Poppy!” A purple haired barista greeted her. He could tell something was wrong with Poppy, but she forced a smile for her friend.

“Erdene.” She smiled. 

“Same as usual?” Erdene asked, and Poppy nodded.

“I’ll bring it to you.” Erdene told her. Poppy nodded, heading to a seat in the corner of the bar, a little lamp lighting the table. He saw her put her head in her hands, crossing her legs. 

Erdene rounded the counter, a smile on her face, with a pink mug of coffee, a painted heart on that mug, and upon seeing Poppy, her smile fell.

“Poppy?” She set the mug down, sitting down in front of her. Erdene reached out, taking Poppy’s hand, and Poppy turned her eyes to her. “It’s Julri, isn’t it?”

The way that Erdene said his name was enough for Tora to understand that this wasn’t a new development, but when Poppy started to cry, Tora felt himself get absolutely furious.

“What did that fuck do this time?” Erdene growled. Poppy shook her head, tears still flowing down her face. Erdene got out of her chair, wrapping her arms around Poppy.

Tora slid out of his chair, gritting his teeth, flipping his hood up, and shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket. He pulled his phone out and put it up to his ear as he was walking out the door into the rain.

“Ronzo,” Tora growled. “I need you to find someone for me.”


	27. Search and Find

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! The newborn stage is catching up with me. 
> 
> I promise I’m still writing—it just might not update everyday like I was before.

27

*********  
4 Years Ago  
*********

The orange glow of a cigarette lit up a pair of golden eyes in a darkened alley. He shoved his hands in his pockets, head down, waiting for the clubs to close for the night. This Julri kid was a rich boy, which meant he, or rather daddy, had connections to many of the clubs in the city and that bought him illegal entrance. When Tora found this out, part of him wondered if that was what Poppy liked—rich boys who could buy her pretty things...but the minute he wondered that, he immediately shut that thought down. No, she wasn’t like that.

“Oh, hey baby.” He heard that disgusting little voice say. He looked up to see spiky hair himself pass by the alley. He flicked what was left of his cigarette out, pulling his hood up, and following Julri on the sidewalk of the wealthy museum district.

“Yeah. No, I’m just leaving a study session at Hideo’s house.” Julri said so smoothly that Tora almost wondered if he would have believed the lie.

Fucking Hideo. He would know a prick like Julri. Hideo was like a magnet for rich boys—he was an expert at manipulating them into taking care of what he needed, and knowing Hideo, he probably sold to Julri too.

“Alright, baby. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Julri hung the phone up only for another call to come in.

“Hey, baby.” He heard Julri say. Tora wondered why Poppy might be calling again.

“No, I’m just leaving the club. I’m heading to come see you right now.” It wasn’t Poppy. Tora balled his hands into fists. This fuck was cheating on her.

“Oh. You know I want to know what your mouth can do too.” His voice was disgustingly breathy, and Tora scrunched his nose up listening to him.

“Of course I’ll bring you the gift I promised you. You know I wouldn’t forget.” Julri told whoever was on the phone. Tora picked up the pace, his heart slamming against his chest like an angry jackhammer.

“Alright. Bye bye, baby.” Julri said, and the minute the phone was in his pocket again, Tora’s hand shot out, yanking him by his collar and slamming him against the wall. Tora reached into his pocket producing a switchblade and flipped it open, leaning in close and putting the blade up to his throat, seething,

“Surprise, motherfucker.”

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Tora checked the address on his phone one more time and then looked up at the house again. He figured that by this point, this prick would’ve lived in a more luxurious house, or at least some sort of high rise building. This house was—a little more quaint.

Tora pushes the door open to the red sports car and headed toward the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited. When he didn’t hear anything, he rang the doorbell again. Then again.

“I’m coming, you fuck!” He heard someone shout from inside. “Impatient little—“

The door opened partially, and Tora’s fist flew out, jabbing Julri in the throat. Julri hacked, gasping for breath, and backed into a wall as Tora pushed the door the rest of the way, putting his forearm up against Julri’s throat and holding him against the wall.

“Not again.” Julri coughed, grabbing at Tora’s arm.

“I’m looking for Goliath.” Tora smoothly told him. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know, man. I haven’t seen him.” Julri gagged out. Tora eased up a little, not because killing him was out of the question but because he needed him for information. 

“Really? Then who’s your supplier now?” Tora didn’t sound convinced, and Julri’s face told him he knew more than he was letting on.

“I—“

“Don’t even finish that sentence. I know ya lying.” Tora bit back.

“I’m telling you the truth!” Julri cried out. Tora was growing impatient with his games. He pulled out his switchblade again, waving it in Julri’s face.

“Tell ya what,” Tora said, “You convince me that ya haven’t seen him and don’t know anything about his whereabouts, and I won’t cut ya lips off for being a cheating bastard and cut ya tongue out for lying.”

“Alright. Alright!” Julri stammered. “Saw him about a month ago. We met in the Goruden district.”

“Where in the Goruden district?” Tora growled, pressing the blade into his neck a little harder.

“Vice. The club there.” Julri told him.

“Excellent. Who would I talk to there?” Tora pressed.

“There’s a girl. A dancer there. Lynn. She knows him.” Julri told him. “She knows everyone.”

“Let’s hope she does. For your sake.” Tora released him.

“Oh, thank god.” Julri breathed a sigh of relief.

“By the way,” Tora ran his finger from the blade to the hilt of his switchblade. Julri turned his full attention to Tora, who rared back, throwing the blade at full force and watching it lodge itself in the wall just under Julri’s groin. “I know what you did to Poppylan.”

Julri squeaked at the sight of a near miss, and wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

“And I’ll be back to discuss that matter at another time. In the meantime,” Tora said, approaching Julri, leaning down and pulling the blade out of the wall, shaking it in his face, “You’d better hope that Lynn can give me more information about Goliath. Because next time, I won’t miss.”

He smirked at Julri, backing out of the room and shutting the door. He heard the door lock behind him, and he shoved his hands in his pockets heading toward his sports car. It looked like he would be going clubbing tonight.

*********

The smell of sweat, cologne, and cheap perfume intermixed together as Tora squeezed his way through the crowd. He glanced around the club, taking note of the raised platforms where the girls were dancing.

The music was like the heartbeat of the club, pulsing with life and vibrance. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him, which was fair since he towered above most of the people in the bar, and most of the women, single, taken, married, seemed absolutely enraptured by him.

His body pushed through the crowd spotted a girl moving seductively against a pole. She seemed to sense him staring at her because her eyes flicked directly to his and a smile played on her lips. She got down on her hands and knees, making her way to the edge of the stage, long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders in curls as she pulled herself up on him.

“Lynn?” Tora grumbled. She smiled,

“Yeah. That’s me.” 

She rubbed her shoulders, writhing against him, starting to pull the straps down.

“I’m looking for Goliath.” Tora told her, and her smile widened even more,

“I don’t care who you’re looking for. Right now, I’m looking for you, and damn if I’m not tempted to give you more than just a free lap dance.” 

She reached up, her hands touching his face, and he took her by her wrists, pulling them away from his face.

“Don’t.” He warned her.

“Aw. What’s wrong, sweetheart? You caught feelings for someone? Can’t touch any other girls?” She pouted.

“Something like that.” He agreed.

“Then move along, handsome. You’re wasting my time.” She leaned away from him.

“I’ll buy your time.” He told her.

“Well, then.” She pushed herself off the platform and took his hand. “Right this way.”

She pulled him toward a private room, shutting the door. The red and purple up lighting in the room gave the room a strange, urban vibe, low purple acrylic coffee tables and red velvet benches lined the walls. Lynn dropped the straps of her bustier, walking slowly toward Tora. She pushed him back toward the velvet bench, crawling on his lap.

“Before you ask,” she told him. “I don’t talk about my other clients.”

Tora’s hands grazed across her thighs, and he saw her shiver against his touch.

“That’s a shame.” He ran his fingers up her leg, and her mouth opened, a soft exhale coming from those parted lips.

“Why do you want to know about Goliath?” She couldn’t resist, and Tora could tell that what he was doing was working—and it was working well.

“He’s my brother.” Tora told her, tucking her hair behind her ear, fingers grazing her arms. She shivered again, and her eyes darkened, looking at him.

“I didn’t know he had a brother.” Lynn sounded a little suspicious, and Tora’s mouth curved into a seductive smile.

“Look at these eyes and tell me you don’t see the resemblance.” He told her, and she fell right into him, gazing into those golden eyes.

“I do see it.” Her voice was breathy.

“I worry about him. I haven’t heard from him in a while.” Tora told her, holding her gaze, and she nodded.

“The last time I saw him, he seemed a little off.” She was absolutely mesmerized by him. He ran his fingers down her back.

“A little—off?” He asked, toying with a strand of her hair.

“He mentioned he wouldn’t be seeing me again for a while. Said he ran into some trouble. That he would be going to Gyangu City.” She explained.

“You seem worried.” Tora told her, and she closed her eyes, fantasizing, swallowing hard, and she nodded.

“He seemed panicked.” She explained. “I asked to call him—check in. He—refused.”

“Did he mention any names?” Tora ran his thumb over her lips, allowing her to lean close to his face, before turning away from her, which she took as a tease.

“Kaen.” She breathed, sucking on his thumb. A sharp realization caused Tora to jump, practically knocking Lynn off of his lap as she sprawled backward onto the ground with an angry,

“What the fuck?”

“What did you just say?” Tora growled. “The name? What was it?”

“Kaen.” Lynn sighed impatiently. “Jesus Christ. Did you have to knock me off your lap?”

Tora pulled his wallet out, dropping a few bills on the table and rushing out the door. 

“No fucking way.” Tora found himself thinking as he pushed his way back out through the crowd. “He’s dead. I saw him die.”

Tora knew without a shadow of a doubt that Kaen was dead. Not only that but he realized he now had a huge problem—now, he was going into Yakuza territory, and he was certain that they would not look too kindly on someone who was indirectly responsible for the death of their leader.

He whipped his phone out, dialing Mizuki’s number.

“You found him?” She answered, and Tora sensed a strange hope and excitement in her voice.

“I have a lead.” He told her.

“That’s not what I asked for.” She sounded disappointed, deflated from her excited state.

“He’s in Yakuza territory.” Tora told her. She sighed, saying,

“That does pose a problem.”

“Knowing Goliath, there’s no telling. He was double dipping between our organizations for a while. I have a strong suspicion he probably had ties to a few other organizations.” Tora explained.

“Yes.” Mizuki agreed, deep in thought.

“I’m going to Gyangu City tonight.” Tora told her. Mizuki made a noise of recognition, indicating that she was listening, but deep in thought.

“Call me with any other updates.” Mizuki ordered, and the line went dead.

*********  
3 Days Ago  
*********

“And what if I tell you that the only way to stop me from killing you is to kill your partner?” Yamamoto inquired. Poppy’s eyes darkened at that, and she looked directly where Yamamoto’s eyes would be if she could see them, and said,

“Then I would ask you to go ahead and put a bullet in me.”

“Very well, then.” He said. She saw him lean to the side, pulling something out of his jacket, holding it into the light: an intricate pistol with a mother of pearl handle and a silver hilt. “You want him to live? A life for a life. I’m going to require your life.”

Poppy took the pistol in her hands, feeling a sickness spreading through her body. Her hands started to shake; not because she doubted her decision, but because death was on her doorstep, and although she knew what she had damned herself to, that didn’t make it any less terrifying.

“Better do it like a bandaid.” Poppy took a deep breath, put the pistol up to her temple and pulled the trigger.

For a moment, the world seemed to go still and a hollow *click* sounded in her ear. She opened her eyes, pulling the hammer back again and pulling the trigger once more to hear a resounding *click*. Again she pulled the hammer back, pulling the trigger to hear another *click*.

“You can pull the trigger as many times as you like. There is no bullet in the chamber.” Yamamoto sounded amused and impressed all at the same time.

“This was—a trick?” Poppy breathed. 

“A test.” Yamamoto told her. “In this organization, your word is your bond. You make your decisions, and you back them up whether it’s easy or not. You did just that.”

“I would do it again.” She told him. “For him.”

“I can see this man is important to you.” Yamamoto told her. “Important enough you’re willing to die for him. And, of course, you are important enough to him that he’s willing to make a deal with an organization that is not his own.”

Poppy nodded.

“Mizuki.” Yamamoto called. The shadow of the woman approached Yamamoto. “Tell our men to stand down from the boy and his bodyguard.”

Poppy saw Mizuki nod in understanding and then and leave the room.

“Ms. Wilkes. Welcome to the Yamamoto Organization. You have completed your initiation and will be assigned your first task in due time. In the meantime, beginning tomorrow, you will be training with expert shooters and fighters in our organization.” Yamamoto explained. 

“Once you have been sufficiently trained. You’ll be sent on a recovery for me.” Yamamoto told her.

“A recovery?” Poppy stammered.

“I need you to find someone and bring them back for me.” Yamamoto explained.

“Yes, sir.” Poppy assented. Yamamoto nodded and stood from his chair, turning and exiting the room, having done and said what he needed to.

Poppy exhaled in relief, almost ready to break down into tears, putting her head in her hands and taking a few deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. 

“I’m alive.” She whispered to herself. “I’m alive.”


	28. Reunion

28

*********  
4 Years Ago  
*********

Julri slammed onto the wet pavement with a sickening thud, his head bouncing off of the floor like a basketball.

“Come on, man.” Julri whimpered, slowly picking his head up and rubbing the back of his head tenderly. “Why are you doing this to me?”

Tora lit a cigarette, squatting down in front of Julri, blowing the smoke in his face.

“Is it money? You want money? I can get it.” Julri wiped a trail of blood from his forehead, and Tora smiled wryly at that.

“Why is it that when people get their ass kicked, they always assume it’s about money?” Tora smiled, taking another drag from his cigarette. “Honestly, I’m offended.”

Tora put his cigarette between his teeth and slapped Julri across the head.

“Okay. Okay. What about drugs? I can get those too.” Julri whined. Tora’s face darkened, and he pulled his collar down, showing Julri the Balthuman logo, asking,

“You tell me. Ya think I don’t know where to get goods?”

“Aw, come on, man! Then what? What do you want? Why are you doing this?” Julri groaned.

“Did it ever occur to you that ya just a really shitty person?” Tora scoffed, standing back up, puffing on his cigarette. Julri looked up at him incredulously.

“I know. Pot to kettle, right? Coming from someone who does illegal shit for a living, but I think that makes me kind of an expert on people who are real pieces of shit, and you, are definitely a high caliber piece of shit.” Tora flicked his cigarette at Julri, who looked remotely offended by Tora’s name calling.

“So—you’re kicking my ass because...I’m a piece of shit?” Julri sounded absolutely confused beyond belief. Tora blew out the last of his cigarette smoke with a grin and nudged Julri with his foot, saying,

“Ya catching on. And I’m curious—what does loyalty mean to you?”

“Loyalty?” Julri scoffed. “It means shit. Loyalty can be bought.”

“I see.” Tora nodded, feeling anger rising up in his throat at the thought of Julri buying Poppy’s love. “Does that include Poppylan?”

A smirk crossed Julri’s face for a moment, and he leaned back on his arms, wagging his finger at Tora, saying,

“Oh. So this is really about Poppylan?” 

Tora didn’t say anything in return, but waited to see where the conversation would progress. Julri reached into his pocket, pulling out a joint and lit it, taking a hit of it, before he said,

“I’m not sure what you’re wanting from her, but whatever it is you’re not going to get it.”

“Meaning?” Tora was almost ready to snap. All it was going to take was...

“Why do you think I have multiple women in my life? They lose their purpose—their appeal, but especially when it comes to Poppylan. She’s a prude—you’re not getting in those sweet little panties even if you’re the most attractive man on earth. Her knees are permanently pressing pennies.”

That. That was all it was going to take. Tora lunged forward, yanking the blunt out of his hand, lifting up his shirt and putting the joint out on his chest, Julri squealing like a pig in the slaughterhouse. Tora has absolutely lost control, beating Julri until he was a bloody pulp.

“There.” Tora’s breathing was hard, fast, blood spattered across his shirt and face as Julri lay in the fetal position sobbing on the floor. “Now ya a fucking martyr.”

Tora looked down at his hand, squeezing it shut and then opening it again, wishing he would have just kept his temper under control because he knew Poppy would feel sorry for this asshole.

“Hear me when I tell you this, prick. If you hurt her again, and I find out about it, I will come for you, and you’ll wish I had killed you today.” Tora told him, backing off and turning away from him.

“And—what about when Alfred comes for her?” Julri grunted, sitting up. Tora felt a sharp anger shoot through his body.

“What did you just say?” Tora growled.

“You heard me.” Julri pulled himself up, leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face. Tora turned back around, stalking over to Julri and picking him up, putting him against the wall.

“How the fuck do you know Alfred?” Tora hissed.

“When Hideo fucking disappeared, Alfred’s the one who became my dealer. He took a special interest in Poppy.” Julri explained, blood dripping down his chin and onto his shirt.

“And why the fuck would he care about Poppylan?” Tora growled. Julri scoffed a little, before he said,

“Isn’t it obvious? Because you do.”

Julri stared at Tora, a cold indifference in his eyes, hollow anger ripping through him.

“He’s got this odd fascination with you. He asks about you, studies you. He knows everything about you.” Julri told him, and Tora felt a strange sickness in the pit of his stomach. 

“Why does he give a shit about me?” Tora asked.

“I don’t know.” Julri shrugged. “He doesn’t tell me anything. He just asks a lot of questions—pries.” 

“Does he ask about anyone else?” Tora asked. Julri shook his head,

“Just you.”

Tora dropped Julri with an unceremonious thump onto the ground. Something was going on with Alfred, and if Tora knew anything about Alfred, whatever he was planning wasn’t going to be good.

He ran a hand through his hair, casting one last look at Julri, and turning on his heel, heading out of the darkened alley.

**********  
Present Day  
Two Months After Initiation  
**********

Poppy stared up at the monolith of a building in front of her, blue up lighting illuminating the glittering marble sheets the building was made out of. The heart of the building pulsed with life, a steady staccato of bass beat pouring from the open door out onto the Saturday night crowd, who chartered excitedly in the line outside of the club. Above the door, lit in blue neon was the word Koun.

Poppy’s gold heels clicked on the sidewalk, shifting her golden clutch under her arm as she joined the back of the line. She tugged her short, gold sequin dress down, making sure it wasn’t riding up to high on the back of her legs, already feeling more than exposed with her back completely exposed, golden chains across her back keeping the dress in place, the front of her dress barely held over her breasts with fashion tape, dipping low near her navel, a large gold choker on her bare neck and even larger diamond hoops in her ears.

“You have a killer body,” she remembered Mizuki telling her as she styled her for the evening. “And you shouldn’t be ashamed to show it off. It’s one of your greatest weapons. Be confident in yourself.”

She pulled Poppy’s hair into a high ponytail, teasing her hair into voluptuous Farrah Fawcett-esque curls. 

“I’m curious.” Mizuki tapped her chin. “You’re going to get the mark of the Yamamoto Organization, our dragon, of course. So, where will you put it?”

Poppy touched her back gingerly where a large black dragon started down her left thigh and stretched up and over her right shoulder, a temporary mark on her body, but somehow, she felt it gave her more confidence and made her feel more powerful; more—confident.

As she approached the door, the bouncer looking her up and down as she rolled her eyes, digging in her clutch and producing her ID. The bouncer took her ID, looking at it, and looking at her, before handing her ID back and standing aside to let her in.

Poppy strolled in and was immediately hit by the sweet smell of hookah smoke and the smell of whiskey and vodka. She headed into the heart of the club, where blue lights flashed and blue lasers danced across the glittering bodies on the floor, rolling their bodies and dancing seductively, men leaning over women’s shoulders, lips grazing their throats, women holding each other close, hands desperately trying to be as close as possible, and men interlacing hands, showing their affection publicly. Poppy smiled, vibing with the atmosphere in the club and loving the freedom she felt in here.

Poppy felt her phone buzz in her clutch, and she flipped it open, glancing at the screen, a text coming across her screen. She opened the message, seeing a man with blue hair and golden eyes reaching across a casino table with a hand, tattooed with an Ace on it reaching for the casino chips, women leaning near him on either side.

“Huh.” She said to herself. “So that’s Goliath.”

She looked closer at the phone, feeling that instant sense of recognition. She knew him, but how?

She put her phone away, pushing herself through the crowd, eyes scanning for that face, those eyes. Those...eyes...

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Hideo.

That was Hideo. Tora’s brother. 

She realized that in all this time, it had been nearly two months since she had last seen Tora. Her heart panged with a desperate aching for him, heat pooling in her body at the thought of his touch. She missed him, and she wondered if he missed her too or if he was even thinking of her. She realized now, in a fit of guilt, that she had barely had time to think of her own needs, much less someone else.

“Okay.” Poppy chastised herself. “Not now.”

She glanced up to the balconies that lined the second floor. Judging by the picture, Goliath had become a high roller in recent years. If he was here, he wouldn’t be spending his time with the plebs on the dance floor. 

She turned over her shoulder, heading for the bar.

“Sweetheartini.” She ordered, and the bartender nodded, getting to work on the neon blue drink.

Poppy sipped the drink on her way up the stairs to the high roller lounges, a haze of hookah smoke floating down the stairs as she ascended, finding herself among the supermodels and ultra rich of Gyangu City. Some were gambling at the tables set up near the back of the balcony, some were smoking hookahs near the front, while others were snorting little white lines from silver trays. Some were laughing and enjoying the company of beautiful women and men while others were fucking in darkened corners. Poppy felt absolutely out of her element, but knew she would have to fake it until she made it.

She strutted her way across the balcony, looking at the face of each person she passed by, searching for that blue hair, those golden eyes, that Aced hand. 

She could feel hungry eyes studying her as she passed by all of the sofas that everyone was sitting on. A few times, she deliberately met those eyes and smiled, feeling absolutely at the top of her game tonight.

As she made her way toward the gambling tables in the back of the balcony, she felt the strangest thing—a shock in her body, an odd electric pull causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up and her heart to leap up into her throat. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, wondering where the feeling was coming from.

A sudden burst of laughter caused Poppy to jump, and all of her senses immediately went into overdrive trying to find the source of the feeling, but feeling absolutely overwhelmed by all of the sounds and sights: the tick tick tacking of the white ball bouncing off of the roulette wheel, the hollow roll of the dice skating across the felt table, bouncing off of the wooden edging, shouts of joy, and disbelief and some of frustration. 

Poppy’s hand pressed on her upper thigh, feeling the security of her blade under her skirt as she continued to search, heading back toward the shadows in the back of the balcony where couples were doing unspeakable things to each other, heated gasps and groans causing Poppy to flush and look the other way.

As she neared the back of the bar, stepping fully into the shadows, she suddenly felt that same jolt of electricity behind her. Poppy paused, her heart rate increasing. She waited just long enough before her hands yanked the blade from under her dress, whirling on the stranger behind her, and going straight for the neck of her assailant.

***********  
4 Years Ago  
**********

“You absolute little witch’s twat.” 

Tora rolled his eyes, leaning away from the angry Cockey swinging wildly at the air. He stumbled away from the bar.

“You think you can just *hic* waltz on out of jail like the sexy little tiger you are and forget about me. ME! Your best *hic* fucking friend?” Ramsey stumbled into Tora, pulling on his shirt. “I’m hurt.”

“Alright, Ramsey. Take it easy.” Tora told him, peeling him off of his shirt and sitting him down in a chair.

“Oh take it easy, he says.” Ramsey slurred, shoving Tora, before grasping into his arm, squeezing his biceps. “Oh my. I see someone has been getting physical. It’s quite—large.”

“Knock it off. And sober up a little.” Tora sighed. “I’ve got a problem.”

“Oh? Just one? As in single?” Ramsey sarcastically responded. “Could’ve fooled me, bruv.”

“Yeah, yeah. Listen. Alfred’s been asking about me.” Tora told him. Ramsey paused, his face suddenly going serious as he glanced back at Tora.

“I need an ear to the ground. I need to know why he’s asking about me.” Tora explained.

“I know a few guys who could probably figure it out.” Ramsey told him, squeezing his eyes shut, attempting to sober up.

“You’re not talking about leprechaun and Mr. Clean, are you?” Tora sighed.

“And if I am?” Ramsey crosses his arms indignantly. “When you left, all I had was those cheeky little bastards to keep me company. There was many a lonely showers when I missed your—“

“Okay, we’re done here.” Tora grumbled, pulling a card with his phone number out and handing it to Ramsey.

“Is this a hotline to a—lethal weapon?” Ramsey wriggled his eyebrows at Tora, who shook his head, flipping Ramsey the bird over his shoulder as he headed out of the bar.

“Love to, tiger boy. Time and place?” Ramsey called, waving a napkin at him as he left the bar. Ramsey grinned sheepishly, returning to the bar and taking a swig of his whiskey as the bartender looked at him in disgust.

“What’s the matter, love?” Ramsey asked, winking at the bartender over his glass. “Interested in getting taking the old knob for a turn?”

The bartender threw a dish towel at him and Ramsey roared with laughter.

*********  
Present Day  
*********

Poppy’s wrist hit against another with a hard thud, disengaging the blade from her hand as she was slammed against the wall, a forearm to her throat. She glanced up and a shock vibrated through her system as she glanced up at the tall man in the black tailored suit, golden eyes burning into hers.

The forearm disappeared from her throat, replaced by two large hands holding her face, holding her eye contact, and she heard that beautiful voice say,

“Poppy?”

Poppy threw herself at him, lips crashing into his, arms around his neck. He lifted her up by her thighs, putting her against the wall, and she wrapped her legs around him, fingers in his hair, never feeling like she was quite close enough to him.

“Almost forgot what that felt like.” Tora all but growled, smoldering eyes all but begging for that dress to be in a glittering gold puddle on the floor.

“What are you doing here?” Poppy asked him, and he put her down.

“Looking for someone. What about you? Why are you here?” He asked her. 

“Same reason.” Poppy told him. “It wouldn’t happen to be—Goliath...would it?”

Tora smirked, nodding a little.

“Why does Mizuki have so many people looking for him?” Poppy pondered aloud.

“There’s no telling with Mizuki.” Tora shrugged. “By the way—turn around.”

“What? Why?” Poppy asked.

“Didn’t realize you’d already been branded. I want to see it.” Tora told her, a dark yearning in his voice calling out to her. Poppy hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling shy under his gaze. Then, slowly, she pulled her ponytail over one shoulder and turned around, looking at him over his shoulder.

She heard him take in a sharp breath, and then he approached her. Poppy closed her eyes against the heat of his body, his hands tracing the dragon from her shoulder, down her back, tracing it over her hip and down her thigh, his hand slightly squeezing her outer thigh, before he slid his hands across her stomach, pulling her closer to him.

“Did you choose this?” He asked her, and she nodded.

“Do you—like it?” She asked him hesitantly.

“I love it.” He told her. “But not as much as I love the person that it’s on.”

Poppy smiled at that.

“We can catch up later tonight.” She told him. “But right now, we both have our reason for being here. We need to focus on our job.”

“Later tonight?” He arched an eyebrow. “Sure ya allowed to sneak out of daddy Yamamoto’s house?”

“Guess you’ll have to find out.” Poppy told him. “In the meantime, we need to find him.”

“Let me save you the time.” She heard a voice say from over her shoulder. Both Poppy and Tora glanced over in the direction of a darkened booth where the orange glow of a cigarette illuminated a pair of golden eyes, staring at the two of them with vague amusement.

“And just when I thought I’d seen everything.” She heard him say. “Katashi and strawberry girl.”

The orange glow disappeared and a lazy tendril of smoke appeared to slither out of the darkness before he leaned forward, a shadow across his face, lips spreading into a wide Cheshire-like grin,

“Together at last.”


	29. Betrayal

29

*********  
4 Years Ago  
*********

Ramsey’s head was spinning, squeezing his eyes shut against the over revolving world and shaking his head furiously. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was drinking in the pub with Mr. Clean, the Leprechaun off doing business with someone else, Tora being a twat and refusing to join him at the bar because he was “busy.”

“I don’t seem to remember inviting you to my cozy cave.” Ramsey grumbled, leaning back against the chair. Alfred appeared, rolling a surgeon’s tray beneath a flickering hanging lamp. Ramsey tried to move his hand to rub his eyes, finding them zip tied to the chair.

“Aw for fuck’s sake!” Ramsey cried out. “Look, if you wanted me for all the dirty, kinky little things, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t need to drug me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Alfred grinned. “Though I doubt you’ll want to willingly partake in the type of—kink—I have in mind.”

“Oh. Into pain, are we?” Ramsey grinned. “I hate to break it to you, bruv, but I’m more of a dom.”

“Hmm.” Alfred grinned, picking a scalpel up off of the table. “ That makes two of us.”

“Well. I’m not really open to change.” Ramsey grumbled, leaning back and pouting.

“That we would do  
We should do when we would, for this 'would' changes,  
And hath abatements and delays as many  
As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents,  
And then this 'should' is like a spendthrift sigh,  
That hurts by easing.” Alfred seemed transfixed by the light glinting off the scalpel.

“Right.” Ramsey slowly said, wriggling his hands. “Listen, bruv. What is it you want? I mean clearly you didn’t drug me, drag me here, and tie me up just to make sweet, sweet love to me, which, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m quite disappointed about, truly I am. But I am curious what it is you brought me here for so we can move things along.”

“I’m looking for someone. A girl named Poppylan Wilkes.” Alfred told him, putting the scalpel down and picking up a bone saw.

“Never heard of her.” Ramsey grumbled. “Now. If that’s all you need, I’m sure my lovely friend with the rather shiny bald head and delectably big biceps and love muscle is probably waiting for me right now. And it is rude to keep him waiting.”

“You mean him?” Alfred jerked his head to motion over his shoulder just behind Ramsey. Ramsey craned his neck to look over his shoulder, seeing Mr. Clean’s body slumped backward in his chair, jaw barely hanging on by the threads of a muscle, blood pouring out of his mouth, dripping down his chest where his tongue had been surgically removed.

“We—played a game.” Alfred told Ramsey, tossing something in his lap. Ramsey looked down seeing ten fingernails lying in his lap. 

“I’m gonna guess you won.” Ramsey grumbled.

“I. Always. Win.” Alfred punctuated each word with a punch of enunciation. 

“You really should try losing sometime.” Ramsey shrugged. “Loser’s tears can be quite cathartic.”

“Yes. They are.” Alfred agreed, setting the bone saw down, and crossing his arms. “I want to play a game.”

“I don’t really do games. I gamble, like games of chance and luck and shit, but I’m really a terrible strategist.” Ramsey told him, yawning as he explained himself. Alfred broke into an unsettling smile.

“Bruv. I liked it much better when you didn’t fucking smile. Jesus Christ it’s terrifying.” Ramsey grimaced.

“Then, let’s play a game of chance.” Alfred suggested. “I’ll place a wager now: I’ll bet that you can find Poppylan Wilkes in the next 24 hours. I’ll also bet that if you don’t, you’ll be back here, and I’ll be pulling off your fingernails with tweezers.”

“Okay, now that’s not how betting works.” Ramsey whined. “You already know how it’s going to end.”

Alfred picked up the bone saw, approaching Ramsey, placing them saw over the fingers on his left hand.

“Find her.” Alfred growled, before taking his other hand and stabbing Ramsey in the neck with a needle.

“Oh bloody hell!” Ramsey cried. “A little fucking warning would be—nice...”

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“Katashi and strawberry girl. Together at last.” His voice sounded both bemused and bitter all at the same time as he took a swig of whiskey from the crystal glass he was holding.

Tora narrowed his eyes, pushing Poppy behind him.

“Why here?” Tora growled. “Why now? What’s your game?”

“Maybe I’m just tired of hiding.” Goliath shrugged, blowing out a plume of smoke.

“Bullshit.” Tora hissed, and Goliath’s smile widened even more. He took a drag of his cigarette.

“Ya caught me.” He said, smoke seeping from his mouth as he spoke. “I understand Mizuki is looking for me.”

Tora waited for Goliath to continue.

“And from the look of things, I wouldn’t be a ghost for long if you’re the one looking for me. So, I decided to expedite the process and save us all the trouble.” Goliath explained. “Besides, if Mizuki is looking for me, something must be seriously wrong.”

Tora couldn’t argue with his logic. If any clan was looking for you, you were either a dead man walking or you were very sorely needed for one reason or another. Since Goliath had been gone long enough for his expiration order to pass, Tora figured he was very sorely needed, even more do because Mizuki cashed in her favor specifically to find him.

“I can take you to her.” Poppy offered. Goliath’s eyes darted over to Poppy, shamelessly looking her up and down, before saying,

“My god. You have definitely changed.” 

“Thank you?”

“Oh. It was definitely a compliment. But I’m curious,” Goliath nodded, “how did you even get involved with the Yamamoto Organization? I mean, maybe I’m stereotyping, but you don’t seem the type to be in the mafia.”

Poppy didn’t say anything for a moment, and Tora remained quiet as well. Goliath looked between the two of them for a moment before he sat back crossing his arms, eyebrows raising in surprise.

“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” Goliath grinned, shaking his head. “My god. What a talented prick: to get the most innocent girl possible and turn her into a bad girl. I’m impressed.”

Tora lunged forward at Goliath, Poppy pulling at his arm as he stopped, Goliath roaring with laughter.

“He wants you to do this. Don’t give him the satisfaction.” Poppy told him, casting a glare at Goliath.

“Well, it’s been fun, but I’m ready to go see Mizuki now. Poppy, if you would.” Goliath threw back the rest of his drink, standing up and dusting his hands off, tugging at his jacket. 

“You first. We’ll follow.” Tora told him.

“Ah ah ah. I said, ‘Poppy.’ Not Poppy and Katashi.” Goliath grinned.

“Like hell am I letting her take you to Mizuki alone.” Tora growled.

“What do you think I’m going to do?” Goliath scoffed. “Kill her?”

Poppy raised her eyebrows a fraction of an inch.

“No. If I wanted her dead, she would be already. You should know that better than anyone.” Goliath’s voice darkened, an unspoken memory passing between the two of them. “You think I haven’t been keeping tabs on you, Katashi? If I can find you, I can certainly find the girl you’ve been fucking.”

“That’s enough.” Poppy told him. “I get that you enjoy messing with him, but enough is enough. I’ll take you alone. Tora, you can follow in your car if you want to.”

“Gladly.” Tora snarled. Goliath shook his head, following Poppy as the three of them headed out the door. Something was up with Goliath and Tora knew it. He just wasn’t sure what his aim was yet.

*********  
4 Years Ago  
*********

Ramsey stood outside of Poppy’s apartment, glancing around the complex.

“My god. I feel like an absolute prick.” Ramsey sighed. Carefully, he knelt down in front of the door knob, picking the lock. He tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. 

“Dead bolted.” Ramsey sighed. “Good girl.”

Ramsey headed back down the stairs, coming around the side of the complex, staring up at the balconies to find where Poppy’s would be. 

“Hmm. Seems easy enough.” He said to himself aloud.

“What does?” He heard a voice ask. Ramsey nearly jumped out of his skin hearing a response, thinking he had officially gone out of his fucking mind when he jumped, seeing Tora staring at Ramsey, arm outside of his red sports car, tapping on the side of the car.

“Bloody hell! You can’t just sneak up on people like that!” Ramsey put his hand over his heart dramatically. Tora’s brow furrowed, staring at Ramsey like he had lost his mind.

“What are you doing here?” Tora inquired, looking around Ramsey to see if he could guess why he might be there.

“Looking for someone.” Ramsey told him, studying Poppy’s balcony again. 

“Who?” Tora asked, following Ramsey’s gaze up to Poppy’s balcony. Ramsey crossed his arms, cocking his head to the side.

“Why do you care?” Ramsey asked suspiciously. Tora held Ramsey’s gaze for a moment more, and then he pushed the door to his car open, stepping out, shutting it, and leaning against the car, arms crossed.

“What’s going on?” Tora felt immediately on edge, recognizing the tense energy that Ramey was portraying. 

“As much as I would love your company right now, really I would, I must insist you fuck off.” Ramsey growled, turning back to his task. Tora laughed at that, nodding,

“It’s Alfred, isn’t it?”

Ramsey’s body tensed up, and he looked around for a moment, looking over his shoulder.

“You just can’t let it go, can you?” Ramsey grumbled. Tora shook his head. Ramsey headed back to the car, leaning against it next to Tora.

“There’s a girl.” He explained, and Tora felt his heart leap in his chest. Julri had warned him yesterday that he was looking for her. Surely, Ramsey wouldn’t.

“Alfred killed Mr. Clean. He’s going after leprechaun next if I don’t find her.” Ramsey told Tora.

“Who?” Tora swallowed, his voice soft.

“Poppylan Wilkes.” Ramsey told him, and Tora closed his eyes. So it was true.

“What does he want with her?” Tora asked.

“Didn’t say. Just wanted to know where she lived. I’m checking the place out is all.” Ramsey told him.

“He can’t know.” Tora told Ramsey. “This is about me. He’s going to use her as collateral.”

“You know her?” Ramsey asked.

“Yeah.” Tora told him, looking away.

“What? Is she your sister or something?” Ramsey pressed.

“Or...something.” Tora couldn’t meet his eyes, but he saw Ramsey start.

“No fucking way.” Ramsey scoffed incredulously. “Oh. That’s too good. She’s your girl?”

“She’s not my girl.” Tora grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets for a cigarette and fumbling with the lighter to light it and walking toward the gate to Poppy’s complex

“Is she a good lay? Oh. Please tell me you’ve gotten into those sexy little—“ Ramsey started in on him.

Tora whirled in him, snapping instantly, hand flying out, eyes glinting with anger, slamming him against the side of his car. 

“Don’t fucking talk about her like that.” Tora hissed, teeth clenching his cigarette, smoke seeping from his breath as he spoke. The grin on Ramsey’s face disappeared, suddenly realizing what was going on.

“I didn’t know, bruv.” Ramsey told him. Tora’s face softened, and he released Ramsey.

“I don’t expect you to.” Tora sighed, leaning against the car next to him. “I don’t want her involved in this.”

“What do we do?” Ramsey shrugged. Tora looked down at his feet, taking another drag from the cigarette.

“Tell him where she lives.” Tora told him.

“What about her?” Ramsey asked, surprised at his response.

“I’ll watch her.” Tora shrugged.

“You can’t be a 24 hour watchman.” Ramsey told him, shoving his hands in his pockets and pulling out a pipe and a little baggy. Ramsey stuffed his pipe, and Tora looked at him incredulously, scoffing at him. 

“What?” Ramsey flipped the lid to the zippo open, igniting the flame, taking in a drag. “This job is very stressful. It’s medicinal.”

“There’s a cop in that booth.” Tora told him, nodding to the booth. Ramsey glanced at the booth,

“And I care because?”

Tora shook his head, Ramsey taking a hit from the pipe, sauntering over to the guard booth. He knocked on the window, and the blinds opened up, a pudgy cop looking at Ramsey, down at his pipe, and then back up at Ramsey.

“What do you want?” The guard grumbled. Ramsey blew the smoke toward the booth, the strong marijuana smell leaving a haze around the booth.

“There’s a girl who lives here—Poppylan Wilkes.” Ramsey took another hit of the pipe. “Someone’s been hanging around looking for her—stalking her. Watch out for her.”

The cop’s brow furrowed, glancing over at Tora, raising his eyebrows as if to say, 

“Who? Him?”

“Not him. He’s harmless. Just watch out for her.” Ramsey told him. The cop nodded.

“Don’t do that shit around here. Step outside the wall.” The cop mentioned, nodding to the pipe.

“Oh. My bad, bruv.” Ramsey grinned, taking another hit, bowing slightly in apology. Tora shook his head, his smile falling.

“Oi,” Ramsey put a hand in Tora’s shoulder. “Your girl is going to be fine.”

“Yeah.” Tora agreed. “Because I’m going to kill Alfred.”

“You do that.” Ramsey nodded. “You do that.”

*********  
Present Day  
*********

“You don’t have to keep turning around to see if I’m here.” Goliath sighed, looking at Poppy. “If I wanted to go back into hiding, I wouldn’t have shown up in the first place.”

Poppy nodded, shifting her clutch under her arm uncomfortably.

“I’m sorry.” Poppy apologized, and Goliath raised his brows in surprise. “This is pretty new to me.”

“I never would have known.” Goliath responded sarcastically. Poppy looked back, smirking at him, falling into step with him.

“Why did you leave in the first place?” Poppy couldn’t resist asking, wanting to know more. Goliath smiled fondly.

“Why does anyone run?” He asked. “Things go south, and you’ve gotta get away.”

“And what about Mizuki?” Poppy inquired as they headed down the stairs in the bar.

“What about her?” Goliath asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

“She really seems to want to find you.” Poppy told him, an unspoken answer hanging in the air.

“We have a—complicated history.” Goliath sucked in a sharp breath, reminiscing back. Poppy threw a knowing glance at him, giving her name to the valet out in the front, shivering against the night breeze.

“Relationships of any sort always seems to be complicated in this business.” Poppy wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms, and Goliath glanced down at her. He shrugged his jacket off, wrapping it around her shoulders.

“Even with my brother?” Goliath asked her.

“Especially with him.” Poppy smiled faintly. 

“He always tends to complicate things.” Goliath grumbled, and Poppy snickered a little, pulling the jacket closer on her shoulders.

“Yeah.” Poppy grinned. “But he’s worth it.”

Goliath glanced over at her, feeling a strange sense of admiration for her. She was so earnest when she talked about him, and he suddenly felt like so much had changed from the strawberry girl he knew then to this glittering, beautiful girl he saw before him with that fondness for his brother in her voice.

As they waited for Poppy’s car to pull around, Poppy heard a sudden commotion coming down the road: horns honking, people yelling, and a red Bugatti Chiron flying down the road, people jumping out of the way as the Bugatti screeched to a halt in front of the club and in front of Poppy and Goliath.

The driver’s side butterfly door flew open and a set of red Louboutin stiletto clacked onto the ground, only black hair pulled up into a high ponytail appearing above the low car, a white mink coat shrugging up near her ears, huge diamond chandelier earrings sparkling beneath the lights. She turned around, leaning against the car, making direct eye contact with Goliath.

“Mizuki.” He smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. Mizuki set her jaw viciously, gritting out,

“I should end you now, you son of a bitch.” 

“Maybe so.” Goliath sauntered forward. “But where’s the fun in that?”

He pulled the door open to the Bugatti, sliding into the passenger’s seat, and Poppy was pretty sure she saw a smirk briefly light up Mizuki’s lips. Poppy smiled at that. She turned away, not wanting to stare at them.

“Yo. Poppy.” Mizuki called. Poppy faced Mizuki, and Mizuki tossed something. Poppy caught it, glancing down at it, seeing a key card that read Hirohito Hotel. 

“Mizuki.” Poppy acknowledged her.

“Have fun tonight.” Mizuki winked. “And get the Magnum size.”

Mizuki’s eyes flicked behind Poppy, and she slid back into the car with a smile, shutting the door, and racing away. Poppy sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging, thankful that was over when she felt a pair of hands slide across her back, pulling her close.

Poppy glanced up at Tora, a devilish smile spreading across her face, as she held up the room key, saying,

“Looks like daddy Yamamoto wants me to have a little—fun.”

*********

The night seemed to be winding down as Ramsey glanced over his shoulder from the bar, watching Poppy and Goliath head out the door, followed, at a distance, by Tora.

He pulled his phone out, dialing.

“It’s me.” Ramsey growled. “Looks like you’ll get two for one tonight. We’re ready to move.”

Sitting in the bar of the Hirohito Hotel, Alfred’s mouth curled into a smile,

“I’ll be waiting.”


	30. Hidden Agenda

30

Poppy inserted her room card into the elevator, waiting for the light to turn green. A pleasant ping sounded and the doors shut, the elevator beginning it’s ascent to the penthouse suite.

If Poppy was being honest, she was incredibly surprised that Mizuki had even given her the key to the penthouse. She knew for a fact that Mizuki and Goliath were somewhere inside of the hotel because that conspicuous red Bugatti was sitting in front of the hotel when they got there, so that begged the unspoken question: where were they?

Tora stood next to Poppy, hands in his pockets, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, a strong feeling of uncertainty and tension creating an electric thickness that felt stifling.

“Why do ya feel so nervous?” He chastised himself. “‘S not like you haven’t had her before.”

“Because she’s different.” A voice in his head whispered harshly in response. It had been a long time since he had felt uncertain of himself like he did, and he hated that feeling more than anything.

Poppy crossed her arms, sensing his discomfort, and she leaned back against the wall waiting for the doors to open again, and when they slid open with a pleasant chime, Poppy pushed off the wall, heading into the penthouse. 

All in all, it seemed very...Mizuki: cathedral ceilings accented with a huge crystal chandelier; a curved floor to ceiling glass window as the focal point of the room, a view of the city and its glittering lights; a large, glossy black piano in front of the floor to ceiling window and clean, crisp white furniture situated in the center of the room over a white mink rug.

Poppy headed toward the bedroom, heels clicking on the floor, pushing open the white French doors to the bedroom and pausing in the doorway.

Tora sat behind her on the arm of the chair, fidgeting with his cuff links, a dark look on his face, his body feeling like it was on fire as she turned to look at him.

“Are you okay?” Poppy inquired. Tora smiled, looking down at his hands before his face faded into a solemn frown.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He told her. Poppy crossed the room, taking his hands, and saying,

“Things feel a little different now, don’t they? Since we haven’t been able to see each other?”

Poppy pushed a strand of hair out of his face, her fingers grazing his cheek. His eyes snapped up, meeting hers, and for a moment Poppy felt startled at his sudden mood swing. He reached up quickly, taking her hand,

“Don’t.”

Poppy’s brow furrowed, feeling herself recoil from his rejection, trying to pull away from him; but finding him holding onto her hand tighter.

“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.” Tora told her. “That’s not what this is about.”

“Then what is it about?” Poppy asked, feeling Tora’s hand relax.

“It’s about you.” He told her. “You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Keep doing what?” She pushed, feeling a little on edge.

“Keep being a part of all this organization bullshit.” He spat petulantly. “This isn’t you. It’s not what ya wanted.”

“And how do you know what I want?” Poppy yanked her hand out of his, and his eyes widened in surprise, nostrils flaring in anger.

“Because nobody fucking wants to be a pawn!” Tora shouted, his voice echoing off of the floors, a sharp silence following.

“I’ve never been a pawn.” Poppy quietly addressed him. “I make my own decisions.”

“So you decided to go after Goliath, huh?” Tora sarcastically pressed. “No one told ya that ya had to? They just gave ya the choice.”

Poppy stiffened at the question, and Tora smiled at her,

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“I don’t know what you’re dealing with, and I won’t even pretend to know what you’ve been through.” Poppy quietly told him. “But for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m in the right place. I feel like I can be more than just sweet little innocent Poppy.”

“What was so wrong with sweet little innocent Poppy?” Tora scowled.

“What was wrong?” Poppy scoffed. “Everything! I was insecure, and I was naive, and I was this girl that was this big joke to everyone because I had no experience, and I didn’t even know what I really wanted of my life.”

Tora raised his eyebrows as he listened to her, watching her back away and begin pacing across the floor, her hands wildly gesturing as she spoke.

“And I’m not going to pretend all of those things are magically gone because they’re not. I still struggle with insecurity, and I’m still not worldly, but I feel a hell of a lot more confident than I did before.” Poppy explained. “And—and I know a hell of a lot more than I did before.”

Tora felt his anger dissipating, evaporating as he listened to the passion in her voice when she spoke.

“I want this. I want to be a part of this organization. It makes me feel—“ Poppy waves her hands around searching for the right words. “Like I belong somewhere.”

That was something Tora hadn’t felt in the entire time that he had been a part of the Balthuman Organization. He had only felt like a pawn; like some sort of disposable muscle that was nice to have around but maybe not all that necessary, and once his usefulness ran out, he knew that he would be thrown away; discarded like a piece of trash. What must that feel like? To belong? To want to be a part of something bigger? To feel worthy? 

For a moment, he almost believed this was her doing the talking...almost...

“Where are they?” Tora quietly asked, crossing his arms.

“Who?” Poppy sighed.

“The people making ya say all this bullshit. Where the fuck are they?” Tora pushed himself off of the chair, going to the window, and looking out.

“Tora, there’s—“

“Bullshit! Don’t try to kid me! When I fucking find Mizuki, I swear to god—“

“Tora, stop!”

Tora wheeled on his heel, heading for the door.

“Fucking assholes that—“

“Will you listen to me?”

“Never should have let you—“

“Fucking listen!”

At this point, Poppy had had enough. She reached under her skirt, pulling out the blade in frustration as Tora pushed the button to the elevator. With a ragged scream of frustration, Poppy hurled the knife toward Tora, the knife gliding past his ear, the hair on his ear briefly moving in the breeze, as the blade lodged deftly into the wall.

Tora paused, his shoulders stiffening, talking completely stopping as his head slowly turned, looking at the blade that was embedded into the wall at this point, the pleasant chime of the elevator door sounding as the door slid open. He pulled the knife out of the wall, turning over his shoulder to look at Poppy, who found herself, quite understandably, thinking,

“Oh shit.”

*********

“Oh, god damn it, are you serious?” Goliath grunted after receiving yet another pistol whip to the face from Mizuki, who had delighted in tying him to a chair in her private suite.

“Tell me why you’re here.” Mizuki growled, sitting down in the chair directly across from him as he rolled his head to crack his neck, releasing some of the tension he was feeling.

“I already told you. You were looking for me, and so I came.” Goliath sighed. “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

“Oh I don’t know.” Mizuki sighed, leaning forward, forearms on her knees. “Maybe because you just fucking disappeared for a year and then decided to come back just because you found out I was looking for you. Sounds like a load of bullshit to me.”

“Well, it’s not.” Goliath grumbled.

“I know you have another motive.” Mizuki narrowed her eyes at him.

“What is it with women and thinking that there’s an ulterior motive to everything men do?” Goliath spat. “For Christ’s sake, we are simple creatures.”

“There is nothing simple about you.” Mizuki told him, quietly looking away. Goliath fell silent looking at the hurt on her face, knowing full well why she looked like that to begin with.

“I couldn’t stay.” Goliath told her quietly.  
“You know that.”

Mizuki turned to look at him sharply, 

“What I know is that I should have fucking killed you when I saw you three months ago.”

She stood up from her chair, angrily pushing it out of the way, the chair tipping over and skittering across the floor.

“I had my chance, and I lost it, and I have a chance again now.” Mizuki told him, stalking over to him, and putting the pistol she was holding to his temple, getting down in his face.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.” Mizuki growled. Goliath looked up into her eyes, studying the pain behind them.

“Because you know I wouldn’t have left you without a damned good reason.” Goliath told her, directing his frustration at her. Mizuki paused at that, startled when suddenly, Goliath, who had originally been tied to a chair, reached up and grabbed a hold of the pistol, yanking Mizuki onto his lap, grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

“Damn. I missed that hostility.” The corner of his mouth curled up into a devastating smile, Mizuki unable to help herself.

“Fuck you.” She grinned, and Goliath’s mouth spread into a full on smile.

“Promise?” He arched an eyebrow. She shook her head, and he leaned forward, capturing her lips in his own.

“This is all well and good.” Mizuki heard a voice say from behind her. “But if you don’t mind, I’m going to need to borrow your catch.”

Mizuki turned over her shoulder at the sound of a Cockney accent, finding the source of the voice leaning against the doorframe to the bedroom.

“Who the fuck are you?” Mizuki pushed herself off of Goliath’s lap, pointing a gun at the man.

“Oh. Forgive me, love. I’m Ramsey.” He said, waving a little at her. “You’re Mizuki. That’s Goliath. Now that we’ve all been introduced.”

“I’m going to need you to get the fuck out now.” Mizuki cocked her weapon.

“Sure thing, love. Right after I take Goliath with me.” Ramsey grinned.

“No.” Mizuki flatly told him.

“I figured you’d say that.” Ramsey told her. “Right then, boys.”

Suddenly, a myriad of red lasers appeared all trained on Mizuki from the various windows in the room, but mainly from the floor to ceiling window in the bedroom.

“Why do you want him?” Mizuki sneered, not lowering her weapon. Ramsey looked at her coldly, swallowing hard.

“It’s either him or my mate. I don’t fucking know him, so it’s no skin off my back.” Ramsey shrugged, producing a blade from his back pocket and setting to work cleaning beneath his nails with the tip of the blade.

“Who wants him?” Mizuki inquired. Ramsey looked up, sufficiently annoyed.

“You know. For someone who doesn’t have much of a choice in this situation and who is, by the way, for lack of a better term, fucked, you ask a hell of a lot of questions.” Ramsey sighed.

“Mizuki.” Goliath’s voice was calm. 

“No, Goliath.” Mizuki snarled. He reached out, taking her wrist, helping her lower her weapon.

“At least tell me who I’m replacing.” Goliath sighed. Ramsey’s gaze darkened, and he flipped the blade back into its protective covering.

“A bloke named Tora.” Ramsey told him. Goliath nodded, a sharp recognition panging through his body as Mizuki jerked her head over to look at Ramsey,

“Someone wants Tora?”

“You know him?” Ramsey inquired suspiciously.

“We have a—complicated history.” Mizuki told him. 

“I’m sure.” Ramsey grumbled.

“I’ll go with you.” Goliath told Ramsey.

“Perfect.” Ramsey smiles. “Stand down, men.”

The red dots situated on Mizuki disappeared. Goliath put his hand on Mizuki’s lower back, fingers skating across the bare skin as he moved past her to stand near Ramsey. 

Mizuki felt her fingers twitching, badly wanting raise that gun up and shoot Ramsey, and she would have done it...if it hadn’t been for Goliath.

“Mizuki.” Goliath turned around to face her. “Don’t shoot him.”

His mouth spread into a wry smile, and her mouth dropped open in shock as the two men made their way out of the room.

*********

Tora stood staring at Poppy, patting the knife in his hand.

“I—I—“ Poppy tried to begin explaining herself, but couldn’t find the words to justify her actions.

“First off, where the hell did you learn to throw like that?” Tora grumbled.

“I—practiced—a lot.” Poppy explained. 

“And you were confident you wouldn’t hit me?” Tora inquired.

“I didn’t really think that far ahead. I just reacted.” Poppy explained. Tora nodded, raising his eyebrows at her response. He headed across the room. Poppy backed up against the wall, Tora encroaching into her space, his hand on the wall above her head.

“Where exactly did this come from?” Tora purred, leaning down next to her cheek, whispering into her ear. Poppy swallowed hard,

“Uh. My uh. My r-right thigh h-holster.”

“I see.” He smiled, taking two of his fingers from the same hand holding the blade and putting them on her thigh, moving them upward, taking the hem of her dress with it. Poppy closed her eyes, relishing in his fingers in her body. She felt the blade slowly slide into place in her holster.

“Th-thanks.” She breathed. She saw his mouth curved into another devilish smile, clearly enjoying her sexual frustration. His hand moved up her body to her lower back, saying,

“By the way, was that the word ‘fuck’ I heard earlier?”

“No!” Poppy quickly spat out, and he raised his eyebrows in response. “It was fucking.”

“Yeah. ‘S a big difference.” He teased her.

“It is.” Poppy indignantly told him. “Especially because I feel like the word ‘fucking’ is a lot more appropriate right now.”

“Why’s that?” Tora asked.

“Because,” Poppy told him, looking him directly into his eyes, and he felt himself harden immediately. “That’s what I want to do to you.”

*********

“Tell me,” Alfred growled, “What the hell Im supposed to do with Goliath.”

“Ransom him? I’m sure people are willing to pay a pretty penny for him considering all the shit he supposedly posted in that journal.” Ramsey told Alfred. Alfred’s face contorted into a strange expression that resembled something of an anger and an amusement all at once, mouth curved up into a smirk, brows pulled down and furrowed.

“Why do you think I want Tora?” Alfred asked Ramsey. Ramsey froze for a moment, knowing full well that he was fucked the moment Alfred asked the question. 

“Because—“

“Do I strike you as the type that yearns for money?” Alfred asked, pulling on a set of latex gloves.

“No, but he—“

“Am I someone who cares about organization activities beyond those directly related to me?”

“No, but if you’ll just—“

“And what is it you think I do care about, Ramsey?”

Ramsey paused, infuriated at the fact that he wasn’t able to finish his sentence and even more infuriated at the fact that he was kowtowing right Alfred.

“Your own fucking self.” Ramsey spat, crossing his arms.

“Lay not thy hands on me;” Alfred growled, hands digging into his pockets as he pulled out a remote, flipping the switch on it. “Forebear, I say! Their touch affrights me as a serpent’s sting.”

“Alright, bruv. Calm down. No need to do anything hasty.” Ramsey tried placating Alfred, whose eyes were wide as saucers.

“Do you think I won’t kill her? Because you keep playing me for a fool. Dare I show you what I can do?” Alfred hissed.

“I know what you can do.” Ramsey felt a panic rising swelling in his body.

“See, I thought that killing your bald friend would have been enough to convince you not to toy with me. But I had a sneaking suspicion your loyalty would prove to be a problem, and, of course, I was correct in my assumptions.” Alfred opened the door to the next room, revealing Leprechaun sitting bound to a chair, effectively knocked out. “I think maybe taking something else that belongs to you may drive the point home.”

“He’s not a fucking something! He’s a god damn person!” Ramsey roared. “I swear I will fucking end you.”

“You touch me, and you know what will happen.” Alfred’s voice was chilling, a smile spreading across his face as he stood behind Leprechaun, putting his hands on his shoulders. “Boom. Everything you love. Everything you know. It goes up in flames. Because they’re watching. They’re always watching.”

“Alright.” Ramsey breathed, his heart rate effectively through the roof. “Alright. I’ll get him. I’ll bring him to you.”

“I know you will.” Alfred smiled, deactivating the remote and putting it back in his pocket. “But you must learn from your mistakes.”

Alfred put his hands around Leprechaun’s throat, looking directly in Ramsey’s eyes as he whispered,

“Often times excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the excuse.”


End file.
